Betrayal
by Awesome333
Summary: Either sasunaru, narusasu, or naruneji. Don't know yet. About when sasuke betrayed naruto but they had a little baby Menma that sasuke didn't know about.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer, I don't own Naruto.**

Naruto parked his car in the driveway of a rather intimidatingly somber mansion. Only the tinted windows softly illuminating from the second story expressed signs of life. He pulled the keys and listened to the purring engine cut into a clean silence. He pushed the door open and stepped out, chest hanging low with burden. For a minute he hesitated from taking anymore steps and decided to lean against the side of the car. Tilting his head, he gazed at the weakly lit windows; then, at the winking stars struggling furiously with the shadows of the clouds. From where he stood, the glow emitted by the shy moon hovering above reflected off his golden strands of his hair brilliantly. Cerulean eyes, contrasting radiantly with the ghostly yellow bloom, shone with explosions of emotions. Fear, anxiety, concern and doubt buzzed within the vivid iris; but, excitement and elation subtly highlighted the upsetting emotions.

"I hope Sasuke can accept both of us," his voice was weak and unsure. He trusted Sasuke, but his confidence still faltered.

Despite the utter dread enveloping his heart, a spread of warmth and joy filled his stomach. Naruto's face bloomed into a delightfully wide grin and he erupted in a little happy dance; or a messy combination of disorganized limbs and unnecessary jumping. Anyone who might've caught glimpse of the expressive act would've probably thought the person was either choking, mentally insane or both. His flailing eventually halted when his limbs began to feel weighted with exhaustion and his hand decidedly settled on his stomach; smiling tenderly at one specific area.

Naruto took a deep breath and mustered enough courage to continue walking towards the mahogany double doors. He fished for the keys in the pockets of his pants and unlocked the doors. When he pushed through the wooden slabs, he instantly knew something was askew. The lights were off, but he could clearly make out the outlines of clothing littering the floor; some he could identify to be Sasuke's, but others were unfamiliar pink and crimson bundles. He was suspicious of Sasuke's uncharacteristic sloppiness; but, the rosy garments, looking dubiously like women's clothing, worried him more.16

He withdrew his eyes from the scattered clothing and redirected them upstairs where he could've sworn he'd heard a noise. With considerable precaution, he snaked up the spiral staircase and lurked quietly towards the master bedroom.

The noises were much more prominent now and Naruto paled when he found them to be moans. Alarm formed a painful lump in his throat and the jittery elation he held minutes ago vanished along with hesitant hopes. His brain screamed to run away, to leave right now at this very moment; but his body debated and refused logic, so he continued shuffling his feet to the bedroom.

Slowly, he twisted the silver knob of the dark oak and peeked inside. The smell of sex immediately filled his nostrils and high-pitched moans accenting deep groans violated his ears. Naruto pursed his lips into a tight line, not trusting them to confine any stray words. Indescribable pain sparked in his chest, the abrupt rush of intense emotions and adrenaline made him feel nauseous.

Sasuke-his love, his heart, his fucking fiancé-was stark naked in their bed and screwing his co-worker...his best friend.

Apparently, the two were so engrossed in swallowing up each others' mouths that they didn't notice Naruto standing in the doorway. So, he straightened up his shoulders as best as he could and made himself present.

"Why?" His voice came out broken and soft, but otherwise rewarded him attention from his audience.

Sasuke and Sakura immediately stopped their actions and looked at the trembling blond. Silence blanketed over the three as the guilty couple attempted to unlock their tongues and find the right words.

"Why?" Naruto repeated, but this time firmness backing up his voice.

Sasuke started getting up, carefully pulling himself out of Sakura, and grabbed his underwear hanging sheepishly at the edge of the bed. Naruto got the gist and pointed a finger towards his direction, "Don't you fucking dare come near me. Just answer the damn question where you are."

The raven flinched, the voice was calm, but it was unbearably cold and unforgiving. He sat down next to the anxious pinkette in order to fully face the other. This was not supposed to be how Naruto would find out. He promised himself he was going to tell him today, his shame was starting to catch up on him. Intuitively, life translated 'today' as 'at-the-moment-where-he's-in-bed-with-his-fiancé's-best-friend'.

"I'm sorry Naruto. I-"

"I am not enough for you anymore?"

"Naru-"

"How long?"

Sasuke pressed his mouth into a thin line and looked away, "Five months..."

It took every fiber in Naruto's being not to throw a fist at his face, instead he just settled with a heavy sigh and clenched teeth.

"Naruto, I'm sorry," this time it was Sakura, "I didn't mean... Well... I-We have no control over who we love, I'm sorry. Please don't get mad, Naruto," she opened her mouth to say more to fill the silent air, but bit back her words when Sasuke gave her a look.

Sasuke watched Naruto with hidden emotions and sighed. Once again, he threw off the covers hiding the lower portion of his body and began approaching him; however, this time the blond didn't protest. Instead, he faced the floor; his golden bangs hiding whatever emotion had morphed on his face

It wasn't until Sasuke was about to touch his shoulder did he move. Without looking back, Naruto ran out of the room and out of the house all together. He didn't even bother giving a second thought when Sasuke yelled out his name and briefly chased him down the hall. He just kept running to an unknown location, anywhere was better. The muscles in his legs screamed in protest and after a while, eventually grew numb. But, the pain in his chest ceased to grow, fueling his exhausted legs with adrenaline and persuading them to continue taking step after step. The misery he felt was unbearable. His heart had just been shredded and burned to ash, the throbbing claws digging their nails deep and engraving the pain into him thoroughly. 1

He wasn't sure how long he'd been running; but, Naruto eventually grew wary of his surroundings when intense light blinded him. The silvery vehicle came to an abrupt stop and Naruto froze. Apparently, he had reached the end of a long straight and had begun crossing an intersecting road. The driver stepped out of the sterling car in a hurry and began making his way towards him. Naruto drew back for a second until he was able to study the hastily approaching person, "Neji?"

The Hyuuga grabbed his arm and pulled him to the passenger side of the car, away from the road and any impending vehicles, "Naruto? What are you doing alone this late? What's going on? What happened?"

Naruto almost smiled, leave it to Neji to immediately smother him with questions about his well-being, but the ache stopped any slight upturn of his lips. He remained silent, inspecting the individual pieces of gravel on the road, tilting his head even lower and allowing the atrociously wind-blown locks to cover his face. He didn't want Neji to take notice of the tears that managed to escape his control.

Neji, however, took note of the quivering lip and unusual red puffiness peeking from underneath his bangs. He pulled his shuddering friend into a tight embrace, not caring about the wet stain that began to form on the chest of his suit. Naruto accepted the warmth of his friend with open arms and openly wept. His shoulders shivered and he occasionally gave out a few whimpers and some rather sleazy sniffs. Neji sank against the silvery car when he felt Naruto's knees begin to weaken, mentally noting himself to treat the cleaners when he saw the collection of dust around the edges of his suit. He flicked away the thought and looked down sadly at the bundle of tears in his arms. Naruto had curled up against his chest, his head tucked down with both hands resting on both side of his upper rib cage. He tried to comfort him by quietly shushing and running a hand through the silky locks, carefully untangling any stubborn twist. Once the sobs had simmered down to weak sniffles and soft hiccups, Neji tried to get up.

"Nghh..."

"Come on, you'll get a cold if we stay here any longer. I'll take you home. I'm sure Sasuke's starting to worry," Neji said rubbing Naruto's back.

Naruto tensed up and began to pushing away from the arms holding him close to a tear soaked collar. However, his pounding headache hindered his already depleted strength and his actions of defiance did little to nothing.

"No! I don't want to go back to that asshole's house!" He yelled pounding his weak fists at the restraining chest.

Neji scrunched his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes, then tightened his grip on Naruto's waist.

"Did Sasuke do anything to you?" His voice was stern, any thought of the blond getting hurt in hands of that pretentious jackass made his blood ice in anger. The fists stopped hammering and the kicks discontinued at the question. Neji just looked at Naruto waiting for an answer, waiting for an opening to pummel the Uchiha. 5

"Please, don't bring me back there Neji. Can you please just...drop me off at Iruka and Kakashi's place?" The response was merely a quiet whisper, but the pleading tone dripped heavily from his reply. 3

Neji sighed and began to stand up with Naruto in his arms; once again, Naruto began to protest.

"Don't worry; I won't take you back to that jerk. You can stay with me."

Naruto looked up in surprise and sneezed. Neji smiled warmly, even chuckled lightly, "I don't think Kakashi will appreciate it if you decide to crash at their place. He's practically like a rabbit in heat during the holidays. I think it's best for you to let the couple have their own time."

Both shivered slightly at the memory of walking in on Kakashi's 'surprise' for Iruka last Christmas. If it weren't for his current situation, Naruto would've laughed upon remembering the look on Neji and Sasuke's faces that stuck the entire day.

"Plus it's always little lonely during Christmas at my place," he added. 2

Naruto smiled and nodded, "Okay..."

Neji removed his arms encircling the other and opened the passenger door, "Come on, it's freezing cold here," he gestured to leather seat, "the weatherman said it might snow tonight and I don't want to get trapped on the road."

Naruto gave a small nod, careful not to do anything too quick that might encourage the growing pulse in his skull.

The ride to the Hyuuga house was silent. Naruto was too tired to speak and upon witnessing his distress, Neji decided not to start a conversation either. Neji drove his car past the spindled gate, up to the wide driveway of his house and parked his vehicle in front of the garage. Naruto marveled at the sight of the enormous house. He's only been here a set number of times; most of them occurring when he was only a teenager. Though it was not nearly as large as the Uchiha compound, it was still fairly stunning.

The mansion had a simple, modern design; square and sleek. The exterior was coated in pure white and the majority of the walls were covered in windows and the arms of thin vines. White and purple chrysanthemums decorating the sides helped draw a more exquisite and exotic kind of beauty to the house. The only thing that he questioned was the presence of a leaning ladder and tarps covering a large portion of the second story.

"What's with the equipment?"

Neji pulled at the keys and turned to acknowledge the ladder Naruto pointed at, "Oh, yeah. Excuse the mess. I've been renovating the house."

Naruto responded with a small hum and inclined his head. Neji was the first to step out of the car. He walked briefly to the passenger side and opened the door for the latter, extending a hand. As he stepped out, he promptly enveloped an arm around Naruto's waist without a second thought.

"Neji, it's okay. I'm fine," he squirmed around the sudden grasp. 1

"Sorry," Neji withdrew his arms gently and mentally slapped himself. 4

Naruto smiled at the flush that swiftly brushed across the Hyuuga's face and placed a hand on his arm,"Thanks for the thought."

Together, they followed the trail leading to a pair of opaque glass doors; a clatter of keys and the clicking of a latch unlocks the path. They navigate through the eerily lit halls, coming across a few construction tools, before arriving at the living room. The spacious area contained a white couch slightly encompassing an oval glass coffee table. Decoration was minimal, nothing surpassing a simple abstract painting or a potted plant. Naruto eyed the fireplace near the separate loveseat, then shifted to the flat screen TV pinned to the wall. He looked up and noticed a crystal chandelier suspended above the room. Without artificial light reflecting off the clear gems, a haunted shine coming from the moon peeking above the high windows capped the room in an ethereal glow. 4

"Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"...I didn't get the chance to."

Quiet and emotionless; Neji could easily tell that whatever thoughts running through the blond's head at the moment were the reasons behind his emotional collapse.

"You can just sit here for a second," he slowly unhooked their arms, immediately missing the warmth, and pointed to the couch, "I'll get you something to eat. Let me turn on the lights first though."

"Wait-"

"Hm?"

"Can you light the fireplace instead? It's a little cold here," Naruto paused for a second, "well, if it isn't too much to ask."

"Nah, it's fine," Neji waved his hand and crouched down to ignite the logs,"I usually turn off the AC during winter, so I can understand if you're near freezing."

Naruto nods, sinks to his level and extends his hands when flames begin engulfing and filling the firebox. Neji unfolds his legs and stares at the messy mop of flaxen hair for a minute before walking off to get the blond new clothes and some food. When he comes back, he's noticed that Naruto had changed location and was now lying on the couch nearest to the fireplace, his face hidden by cushions and shoulders subtly quivering. Quietly, hoping not to scare him, he sets the pajamas and ramen on the table and settles himself on the edge of the love seat.

Naruto slowly turns over, facing Neji and looking straight into his eyes, invoking a gripping emotion in the brunette's chest. Tears were smeared across his cheeks, clinging to the ivory curly lashes, and the new bubbling droplets made the blue of his eyes more intense and mirror-like. His lips were more raw and plump; probably from being chewed on repeatedly. Lengths of blond hair stuck to his face and framed his cheeks, making them a bit more round and childlike. The turmoil written across his face reverted him back to looking like a lost child. Neji ached seeing him with such a hopeless expression. If he could, he would take all the burden from his shoulders and carry it for him instead.

Naruto threw his arms around Neji's collar, burying his face in the nook of his neck. There was slight discomfort at the fleeting shift of gravity, but Neji swiftly recovered his balance and wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist. He rubbed his back, patting out any grounded sobs, and started to whisper pacifying words in his ears. For a while, the two just stayed in that position, neither one wanting to break free from the other's warmth.

When Naruto's blubbering was reduced to weak snivels, he pulled away, albeit hesitantly.

"A little better now?"

Naruto rubbed the remaining tears from his eyes and smiled weakly, "Yeah, sorry about that, I think you may need to change your clothes though," he motioned to the soaked area on the other's shirt.

Neji picked at his collar and laughed, "Heh, I've been in worse."

"Really, you should be worrying more about yourself," he pointed to the bowl and clothing sitting unattended, "you should eat up. I made some miso-flavored ramen. The pajamas might be a little big by the way."

Naruto grinned, more broadly and sincere this time, "Thank you, Neji."

"No problem. The bathroom's down the hall we entered if you want to freshen up. It's the first door you'll see."

Naruto gave another quick smile and started filling his stomach with the lukewarm soup, only sniffling and hiccuping every once in awhile. Soon Naruto's body was replenished with food and liberated from sweat and tears. He felt warm and fresh in the silk pajamas Neji lent him. Though, he was quite surprised that the Hyuuga even had such colors in his closet. The pajamas were large, the shirt almost slipped off his shoulder on more than one occasion and the pants partially hid his feet, but that was expectable. What surprised him were tender green of the pants and bright orange of the shirt; two colors he would never suspect to see in his friend's wardrobe. He doesn't mean to complain, but he wouldn't be surprised if he ventured in his friend's closet and was only met with shades of purple, gray and a whole lot of black and white. Naturally, Naruto just shrugged and thanked Neji continuously for the pampering. 2

Neji himself had taken a shower, while Naruto was eating, and was comfortably dressed in his gray shirt and black cotton pants. Together they relaxed in front of the fireplace, sharing a large, heavy blanket and enjoying the pleasant silence.

"Neji?" 4

"Hmm?"

"What should I do? I can't stay here, but I can't go back to Sasuke either."

Neji looked at the blond, "Why? What happened?"

Naruto looked down at his lap and started twisting the ring wrapped around his finger, picking at the diamonds and reminiscing bitterly.

"He doesn't love me anymore."

"Naruto, that bastard loves you more than anything in the entire world," he ignored the lump in his throat choking his words, "there's nothing he wouldn't do for you." 1

"Neji, Sasuke left me."

"He...he doesn't love me anymore."

It took a second for Naruto's words to entirely register into his mind. Somehow the thought of Sasuke actually leaving Naruto was so incomprehensible that his mind started to lag. Neji looked straight into the other eyes and watched sapphire illuminating truth. His muscles grew taut and his breathing had begun to quicken; not noticeably, but enough for air to begin echoing in his ears. He wanted to get up drive to Uchiha's house and plant a sweet punch on his pompous face. How could he dare do something so disgusting-so unforgivable-after what happened?

Naruto promised he literally physically witnessed Neji's blood pressure increase, so he placed his hand on his arm to soothe the accumulating anger, "Neji please calm down, It's all right."

All of his rage melted away the moment Neji saw Naruto's tenderness. He took a deep breath and twiddled away his fury.

"I... I also need to tell you something."

Neji clasped his hand around Naruto's, engulfing the slender tan fingers in his own, "You can trust me. I'll help you with anything."

Naruto took a moment to compose himself.

"I'm pregnant."

 **Sasuke got him pregnant! Lololololololol**


	2. Chapter 2

Lala- I still haven't decided what it should be

guest- if you read my profile thing, then you would know I do want to kill myself.

 **6 Years Later**

 **Naruto's POV**

"Chichi."

"Hmm..."

"Chichi wake up."

"Ugh, five more minutes."

"Chichi, I'm gonna be late for school."

I ripped my eyes open and threw my upper body forward. Sunlight burned my eyeballs and the sudden motion set my head into a flurry of morning nausea forcing me to bite my tongue and smother the curses prepared to burst from my mouth, "What! Wait, what time is it?!"

My eyes squinted, pathetically attempting to focus on the flashing red numbers blaring on the clock. My stomach practically dropped when I read 9:20 am. Clothing, brushes and perfume-ready to mask my embarrassing scent-zipped though the air as my limbs clumsily prepared for the morning. Damn that clock! I was sure I placed an alarm for 8:00 am. While wrestling with my pants, a memory from last night played in mind. I had stumbled across the room, exhausted and tripping over my own feet, and just fell into the covers, leaving the alarm button forgotten and unset. I had the itch to groan and rip my hair out, I was being taunted by my own stupidity. Okay, well never-mind, damn myself for being an idiot. While buttoning up my white sweater, I turned to Menma standing idle at the doorway, "Menma, have you eaten breakfast already?"

His little mouth quirked into a large grin and he pointed to Neji approaching from the hallway, "Oji made me some pancakes."

I combed though my hair, wincing when a particularly nasty tangle tugged at my scalp, "That sounds tasty, did you leave me some?"

He shook his head and rubbed his little stomach, "No, he said to eat as much as I can, so I ate all of it."

I tossed the comb into the rumpled sheets and let out a weak yelp of exaggerated anger, attacking the little raven with tickles, "You! You owe me big time!"

Menma squealed in protest when my fingers drummed against his sides, "NO! Chichi, STOP! I promise to save some for you next time!" he protested in between his breathless laughter.

I gave a toothy victorious grin and pulled my assaulting fingers away. Menma pouted and turned towards the mirror, miserably patting the strands sticking out from his disheveled hair and straightening his rumpled uniform, "Chichiiii, You messed up my hair."

Quietly chuckling, I motioned him towards me, "I'm sorry, akachan. Come 'ere I'll fix it."

I grabbed the previously discarded brush from my bed and sat down, propping Menma on my lap. I slipped the band off his hair and ran my fingers through the mess, surprised when it started to pool around his shoulders; maybe it was time for a haircut. But then again, if he does, he'll look more like... I stopped thinking and focused on gliding the brush through the raven tresses. I shouldn't be thinking about him right now. Once the mop of black was silky smooth and tangle-free, I gathered them up and collected them into a ponytail.

I smiled at my work and turned him around, "Okay done! Now go put on your shoes, I'll be out in a second."

"Okay, Chichi!" He gave an earnest nod and ran out the door, his little scampers echoing down the hallway.

"He's growing up so fast."

I jumped slightly at the new voice and turned to Neji advancing towards me with a mug in hand. The bed dipped as he settled down and offered the cup of hot coffee. I gladly accepted the offer and took a sip of the heavenly drink; the warm, creamy and bittersweet taste of vanilla woke up the rest of my sluggish limbs and smoothed out my frazzled nerves, "Thanks, Neji. You know, it's a little bit unfair if you ask me. He's my son too and yet he barely looks like me."

Neji just hummed in agreement, content morphing on his face as he sipped from his cup, and leaned back. Comfortable silence blanketed over us as I grew occupied with my thoughts and miserably slid back to the night when Sasuke painfully seperated from my life. It's been six years since then and yet the wound hasn't healed; still tender and painful to any slight reminder. Back then, when he was just beginning to learn how to speak, Menma would grow curious and ask about his father; but, every time the only answer I was able to give him were silence and panicked glances. Maybe he grew tired of asking or maybe he's figured something out, but either way, the questions stopped popping up.

Nevertheless, I wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him everything there is to know about Sasuke, about his other parent. How his nose would always crinkle up every time I did something questionable, how amazing it was that his gigantic ego would never get caught in the doorway as he walked through, how eerily similar physically they were and how much he used to love and treat me as though I was actually precious to him. I wanted Menma to know and love him, but my heart ached unbearably during every attempt.

I felt guilty thinking about how Menma would never know about his father and angry at the weakness depriving my son. But, the memories are still too vivid-too real-and they always managed to break my heart, renewing the pain.

"Chichi!"

Menma's sharp holler drew me out of my self-pity. I was so immersed in my thoughts I was barely able to grasp the fact that ten minutes had passed by. Did I really just stare off into space for that long?

"Come on, wouldn't want Menma to be late on his first day of school," Neji patted my hand, his eyes betraying a tinge of concern. I watched him stand up and disappear out the door. I clipped on my watch and followed in suit, mentally slapping myself for making him worry again. If there was one person I didn't want to burden it was Neji.

Menma was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, standing right next to Neji. My red scarf wrapped snuggly around his neck and his bag was already hooked around his shoulders. His bottom lip stuck out in an impatient pout, "Chichi, you said you would be down in a second, it's been ten minutes!"

Neji made a little 'hmp' sound and gently scuffled Menma hair, "Forgive him Menma, you know your Chichi can be quite the airhead."

A vein popped out of my forehead and Menma began giggling agreeably. I looked at him with an accusing glare and he covered his mouth with both hands; but, the soft snickers still managed to escape from between the little fingers. I grabbed the brunette's ear and pulled down-hard-bringing his head below as well. The smirk was immediate wiped off his face and Neji yelped,"Owowow. Okay, I'm sorry. Please, I'm at your mercy." 3

This time it was my turn to smile smugly. I let go of his throbbing ear and began shooing Menma out the door. I turned back to Neji and grinned when I saw him glaring at me while nursing his rosy ear. I was about to step outside when I felt a tug on my arm, "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, trust me," I smiled again at him, but this time more sincerely, and tried to pitch as much confidence as I could muster behind my words. He replies with a charming grin and waves me off.

I snatched the keys from the hook beside the door and slipped into my shoes; disregarding the laces swinging around my ankles, threatening to trip me at any moment. The moment I stepped out, my whole body recoiled and pitifully yearned to run back inside. Winter was coming early and the freezing wind striking my cheeks proved it. Menma was huddled to the side of the car and had begun frantically pulling at the door handle hoping that it would unlock. I pressed the button and the little raven yanked the door open and climbed in quickly, perhaps in order to escape the bitter cold.

At least we shared a distaste for freezing weather.

I stepped in the car and looked back at Menma. His little head was almost swallowed up by the thick scarf and he was digging himself deeper into the cushions of the car. I chuckled at the sight. "Heater?"

"Yes, please," his reply came out muffled and a tad bit squeaky.

The car purred to life and I turned up the heater to its fullest. I clipped on my seat belt and glanced behind, "Seat belt already to go?"

I heard clothes ruffling, a few sounds of frustration trying to navigate through a puffy coat, and a small click, "Yup!"

"Yosh! We are good to go!" 1

I pressed the button opening the spindled gates and backed out of the driveway.

I made sure the drive to the school was full of laughter. I wanted to fill the nervous trip with stories of my troubling adventures in school and maybe distract him from the unshakable fear he must be feeling. It was little bittersweet talking about the terrible pranks I would pull at my teachers, but other than the nostalgia, it was pretty nice. Sadly, the jokes and chuckles ended once the school came into view.

The building itself was fairly new and quite small, only a handful of anxious children littered the area. Vibrant flowers and lush trees decorated the sides and the school was painted with bright inviting colors. Teachers with patient smiles helped the restless students and fretting parents through the fears of a new year. With everyone bustling about, the whole scene was spirited with the pulse of life. Overall, it was a very welcoming and likable school; not to mention it was where Iruka worked, so I was completely confident that Menma would get comfortable with his surroundings much quicker.

I parked the car beneath a looming oak tree and killed the engine. I glanced at Menma and saw that his gaze had locked on a group of people; I may not be positive, but I was sure his eyes lingered a little longer on a particularly large family. "Hey you okay there, akachan?"

He responded with a nod, but it didn't break his attention, "Yeah, I'm just a little nervous."

I smiled at him sympathetically and stepped out of the car. He swung his door open and jumped out, his little fingers clasping around my right hand when he reached my side.

Iruka had known I enrolled Menma at his school, so I wasn't too surprised when he I noticed him emerge from the front office and approach us from the entrance.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun."

He reached over for a hug and I reciprocate the gesture, "G'morning, Iruka-sensei."

Menma, who had been lugging behind me, lunged at the sight of Iruka, "Aunty Iruka! You're my teacher?!"

I was too taken back at the 'Aunty Iruka' portion to scold the impulsive question. Apparently, Iruka was also very surprised at the new name. He kneeled down to Menma's level and asked, "Um, Menma, sweetie, who taught you to call me Aunty Iruka?"

Menma bit his lip, his common sign of guilt, "Kakashi-sensei, why, you don't like it? Did I do something wrong?" 7

Iruka chuckled and shook his head, rubbing Menma's head in assurance, "No, no, I'm not angry at you."

"Do you want me to call you Iruka-sensei?"

"No, no, you can call me whatever you want. I just wanted to know where it came from."

Heh, somehow I feel like Kakashi might endure an earful from Iruka after this little stunt.

I clapped my hands and pushed away the desire to procrastinate even further, "Well, I guess I'll leave him in your hands."

As expected, Menma faced me with faint fear and panic, "You're leaving already?"

Again, I wanted to succumb to the urge to bring him back home and just wait another year. I mean who cares if he'll miss this year, he's too young to go to school anyway. "I'm sorry akachan, but I have to go to work."

I bent down and engulfed him in a bear-like embrace, squeezing extra hard for my sake, "Don't worry, I'll be here waiting for you when you come out, okay?"

He wrapped his small arms around my neck and buried his face in my shoulder, "Okay."

I pulled away reluctantly and kissed his forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too, Chichi."

Iruka extended a hand, "It's time to go to class, Menma."

Menma wiggled away from my hold, albeit slowly, and accepted Iruka's reach.

Iruka gave me a reassuring smile and I attempted to hide the threatening tears brimming my eyes. Before disappearing behind the doors, Menma waved goodbye one last time. I waved back and watched him slip behind the double doors. I rubbed my face, blinking away the wet drops, and got up from the ground, looking back at the school one last time, and headed towards the car.

I slipped into the seat, started the engine and turned on the heater; relishing the warmth before retreating into the road. Not going to lie, I was nearly on the edge of tears during the drive to work. Something about letting go of my baby boy was just enough to push my heart to near bawling.

I parked my car at the half-empty parking lot of the pharmacy and immediately rushed towards the double doors. "Poop, gah! I'm late!" I stopped for a brief moment when I realized what had just come from my mouth, "Wait...I can cuss." I shook off the pause and continued jogging towards the pharmacy section, cursing when I realized that my shoes were still untied. I hastily tucked them in my shoe, not giving a second though that the laces would probably bother me the entire day. The doors to the pharmacy were just a few large steps away when, nonetheless, Sai decided to block the way.

"Good Morning, Naruto-kun. How was your day so far?" His tone felt mocking and his lips were contorted into his signature pedo-esque grin.

"Great actually, till you showed up," I bit out my response. It was obvious I was in a hurry, couldn't the bastard see that?

He gave a fake gasp and clasped his hand around the fabric of his chest, "Haaah, Naruto-kun. How rude, I was simply concerned for the well being of my favorite co-worker."

"Well, stop that, it's creepy. Just...get out of my way," I was exasperated so I quickly side stepped him. Victory was around my fingers when I my brain decided to make a crucial mistake; I turned around and stuck my tongue out in hopes of further taunting his defeated face. The dick took advantage of my vulnerability and clamped his mouth around my exposed tongue, grabbing hold of my waist in the process and pulling me close to his chest. 7

"HHMMP!"

Of course, at this moment life decided that this wasn't enough torture and had Kiba waltz in with a camera in hand. "Hey guys look at this cool new camera- WOAW! Now WHEN did THIS Happen!" I watched helplessly as a 'Kiba Brilliant' idea popped into his head, "Wait, actually, this is some great stuff. Hold still!" I muffled out protests as Kiba began flashing his camera towards us.

I concentrated all of his strength into pushing at Sai's chest and whined when nothing happened. He had my arms successfully pinned between my body and his, there was no way I was going anywhere.

Just as I was about to pass out from oxygen deprivation, Sai pulled away and released his bruising hands on my hips. He wiped his mouth and smirked while Kiba laughed his ass off from the ground. After stumbling from the sudden lack of support, I hastily regained my balance and threw an uncoordinated punch towards Sai, growling when I missed.

He wagged a finger at my direction, "Now, now Naruto-kun, violence is never the answer"

I responded enthusiastically with my middle finger, "Fuck you!"

"Gladly."

"Why don't I sti-"

Kiba had recovered from his seizures of laughter, giving only a few cackles here and there, and approached us. "Easy there, Fox Face. You're gonna be 'bout thirty minutes late for work if you don't check in now," he pulled me away from Sai, naturally quelling the urge to commit a bloody murder.

My eyes widened and I rushed over to the desk, this time undistracted, and signed into the computer. There was breath of relief as I shrugged off my jacket and hooked it on a curve beside the door frame. When I turned around Kiba was leaning on the pharmacy counter and snickering at the camera screen. I snatched the closest magazine, curled it into a cylinder and whacked him on the head.

"Gack, Naruto! What the hell?!"

I waved him off, weapon still threateningly in my hand, "Please, I didn't even hit you that hard. Anyway, you better delete those pictures!"

"Why? Can you imagine how many people would drool at the sight of these pictures?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me, so I whacked him on the head again.

"Geez, okay! I'll delete them," he pondered for a second, then an impish grin formed across his face, "after I show them to Neji."

"Wha- Why?"

"Do you know how angry he'll get? He'll track down Sai and rip him apart. I bet it'll be hilarious watching him practically climbing the walls with frustration," he snickered to himself while I settled the poor abused magazine on the counter.

This time it was my time to ponder. Okay, maybe those pictures weren't too bad.

He snorted and raised his left brow, "You know, that Hyuuga really takes the role of 'protective boyfriend' pretty well doesn't he. Why don't you just date him already?" 2

"Kiba, please," I scoffed, "Neji's too good for me."

I heard Kiba quietly mutter something underneath his breath and turned around sharply, "What?" 1

Kiba cleared his throat and shoved the camera down his pocket, "Uh, nothing. So what got you so caught up that you decided to be thirty minutes late to work?"

I ignored the rushed change in subject and walked to the other side of the desk, signing into my account and reviewing any upcoming delivers, "Well, it was Menma's first day of school. I had a bit of trouble letting him go."

He leaned over and reached for the discarded magazine, flipping to a random page, "That little runt sure is growing up fast."

"Too fast."

"He's turning six next month, right?"

"Yup, on September 21st."

Something confusing must've suddenly popped into his head because the sudden sound of the magazine harshly coming into contact with the counter made me jump, "Wait, isn't he a bit young to go to school? I thought kids these days usually start school at the age of seven."

I began collecting the pens and pencils in a cup I knocked over when rushing for the computer, "We sorta got lucky. Iruka managed to squeeze him in before the cutoff date. He practically intimidated the school to accept him."

"Nice, the school made a smart move. Iruka's damn scary when he wants to."

"Heh, why do you think he's the only one who can keep Kakashi in line?"

"True."

We chuckled in unison, but stopped shortly when we heard the door open. I smiled the moment I saw the familiar pale eyes and dark waist-length hair.

"Hinata!" She jumped at the brash call of her name, but otherwise smiled at my direction.

She walked towards us, hands bundled up in the pockets of her sweater, "Good m-morning, Naruto-kun, K-Kiba-kun."

Hinata's a fairly small timid woman, always stuttering when talking with others; however, her heart was generous enough to intimidate any charitable person. You would need a considerably cold soul not to fall victim to her humble charm; or really, you just have to swing for the other team.

"Watsup, Hinata, how's training?" Kiba asked. The sudden change from the cheeky tone into a bashful one caught my attention immediately. I peeked at him through my peripheral vision and noticed a light blush coloring the tips of his ears and gently brushing his cheeks.

She gave a little sigh and that was when I really noticed the shadows beneath her eyes, "I'm doing m-much better n-now."

Hinata's father had been training her for the past year in preparation for when she would take over the Hyuuga Corporation. Her old man's undoubtedly too strict on her, placing a heavy emphasis on her failures, barely recognizing her achievements, and often pushing her mental and emotional limits to the max. One time she came over to Neji's place and had a complete hysterical breakdown; it took me half the night, and two pots of tea, to calm and lull her to sleep. I feel bad for her, but it was almost time for her to inherit the company, and even Neji, who acknowledged his uncle's brutality was pretty unnecessary, advised me to let Hinata grow as a person and a leader on her own. Decidedly, the best comfort I'm able to give is my support.

Kiba and I smiled animatedly and gave her a thumbs up, hoping that it might cheer her up even the slightest. It seemed to have done the trick as Hinata giggled and her face brightened by a smidgen. I saw Kiba turn his head quickly; the flush had spread down his neck.

A stern looking man, hidden by the shades on his eyes, peeked from the door left slightly ajar, "Hinata-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt, but your father called. He wants you to report back home as soon as possible."

Hinata turned towards the man and nodded, "Thank you, I'll be o-out in a-a second."

The man bowed and retreated. Hinata turned to us, her eyes dropping a little with sadness and previous exhaustion, "S-sorry guys, b-but I have t-to go"

"Don't worry 'bout it, Hinata," I assured, "we can hang in another time."

"Yeah, Fox Face and I can wait." The disappointment in Kiba's voice was rather noticeable, but subtle enough to leave Hinata oblivious.

She smiled and waved back as she walked away, "See you next ti-time, N-Naruto-kun and same t-to you t-too, Kiba-kun."

Kiba immediately began restocking the shelves without another word once Hinata had exited the store. From my view point, I was only able to see his back; but, the rosiness of his ears and the tint on his neck was enough for me to speculate.

I think I just learned something important about Kiba.

I was planning arrangements for my new-found interest when Sai chose to pop out of nowhere and settle himself on the counter, head perched on his hands.

"Don't think to yourself too hard, Naruto-kun. You might hurt yourself."

My left eye twitched and I moved to throw the forgotten pen in my hand at his face. He shifted his head at the last second, barely dodging my missile, "Aww, you throw like a girl. Maybe that's why you lack some necessary 'equipment', dickless."

"Okay, that's fucking it," I lunged at him, hands ready to wrangle his neck. Naturally, Sai had shuffled right before I was in reach and all I was able to grapple was air before my face kissed the floor. Kiba doubled over, completely hysterical, and Sai even had the audacity to start chuckling. You know what, spending a life time in prison doesn't sound too bad at the moment.

Sasuke's POV

The morning light was harsh against my skin as it bled through the curtains, but I had no intention of getting out of bed. My eyeballs bore into the ceiling and I relished the cool silk protecting my lower body from the sun. I mind raked over and over again, salvaging any remains of my dream from oblivion.

The warmth of his sun-kissed skin and small pink buds rubbing against my chest. The heightened moans for every time I would caress the little bundle of nerves inside. The slapping skin and the streams of sweat coating and slicking our bodies. The long delicate lashes fluttering against my cheeks as I peppered light kisses on his face. The alluring cerulean orbs drawing me into a world of exposed emotions and confining me in ecstasy.

I closed my eyes allowed my body to yearn for heat, "Naruto."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto no shit

Sasuke stared blankly at the typed words printed lightly on the paper. From afar, one might immediately get the idea that he was heavily concentrated on the report before him; but, in truth, his eyes were constantly drifting and his mind was occupied in an endless contemplation about blue eyes and blond hair. The raven sighed and tried to refocus his eyes on a line of words, but it was futile. Every fiber of his body was determined to prevent any form of progression.+

He had been rereading the exact same sentence repeatedly for the past fifteen minutes and not a single word had registered into his thoughts. 4

Sasuke ran a hand through his raven locks, patting it down when it felt a little too puffed up, and began analyzing the room instead, hoping that it might help him renew his attention. He began tracing the zigzag pattern on the carpet with his eyes and climbed up the gray stripes when he hit the intersection where wall and floor met. He never truly realized it, but his walls were pathetically bare; no family pictures, or any kind of pictures for that matter, in sight. His inspection trailed downwards and onto leather sofas, their bland color adding more gloom to the corner of his office; then, onto the black screen of the unnecessarily wide TV pinned above his coffee table. He eventually followed the design of the carpet back to his desk, briefly gliding past the two leather chairs in front of him, where every inch was littered with stacks of paperwork and overshadowed by his computer.

He leaned back, turned his chair and directed his attention to the view outside his office. The entire wall behind him was composed of large windows, allowing him to peer down on to the bustling cars thirty-five stories below. The sun had already set, leaving behind an infinite amount of inky, black darkness, and the scuttling headlights had begun lighting up the dark roads. From the distance, they were like stars dancing systematically and harshly on the earth.

Sasuke was so fascinated at the blinking lights of the city and analyzing its rushing mass, that he didn't even bother turning around when he heard the door to his office click open.

"Hey boss, can I go home? I'm hungry, I'm tired and I'm fairly sure I've got a bad case of blue balls."

The casual voice and forward complaints made it obvious who was grumbling at his doorway. Knowing the person, he knew that it wasn't long until his counterpart would barge in as well.

"Suigetsu! Get out of Sasuke's office! You're DISTURBING HIM WITH YOUR STUPIDITY!"

Sasuke sighed, 'Of course, I had to be correct.'

"Karin, the sound of your screeching probably damaged Sasuke's brain more than my annoying, but calm, fussing," Suigetsu retorted, emphasizing the words 'screeching' and 'calm' by using his fingers as quotation marks.

Karin used her right hand to clutch Suigetsu's collar, pulling him down to her eye level, and her other hand to form a fist, "WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU BASTARD!?"

A vein throbbed on top of Sasuke's forehead. Usually their little annoying routine was something he could easily drown out with work; but, today his mind was too heated to have even mundane reports as an excuse to ignore their never-ending bicker. He twisted his chair, "Suigetsu! Karin! Get out. I'm in no mood to deal with your quarrels."

Karin and Suigetsu stopped short of their insults. Sasuke raising his voice and chastising them coldly for their childish banter was unusual. They expected him to either call Jugo or ignore their routined squabble all together; but, the icy onyx eyes betrayed none of the expected amusement and promised unbearable pain if they didn't leave soon.

Suigetsu raised his hands in defense and left without a word, carefully closing the door behind him. Sasuke sighed as the door clicked shut and raised his hand to massage the growing ache pounding at his cranium.

The door clicked once again and Sasuke didn't bother opening his eyes nor wait for the person to talk; he already knew who it was.

"Good afternoon little brother, having a little bit of a pest problem?"

The raven aggravatingly opened his eyes, gazed into the same jet orbs mirroring his own and chuckled. His subject of interest was the large, bright saffron daisy clipped on the right breast pocket of Itachi's suit. It deeply contrasted with the man's dull combination of grays and blacks and naturally occurring frown.

Sasuke pointed at the rather prominent flower attached on his brother, "Are you deviating from your usual fashion sense?"

Itachi huffed and gently flicked the petals of the strikingly colored posy, "Deidara wouldn't let me leave the house without 'color' on. He said something about looking like I was going to a funeral." 1

"It looks good. It really matches your frequent brooding."

"Don't mistake me for yourself, little brother."

"Hn, touché. So, what are you doing here?"

Itachi settled down on the chair to the right of him, "You seem to be falling behind on your work. And the ones you do manage to complete is not up to par with my expectations. Is there something on your mind?"

"Nothing worth mentioning," Sasuke snapped. He didn't mean to bite the words out, but of course, even his brain fails at forming calm and rational responses.

Itachi leaned back into the leather and crossed his legs, "You see little brother it is my business. It's my business as CEO to make sure that my Co-CEO and future successor does his job properly and on time."

Itachi paused for a second a looked at the younger Uchiha, "It has something to do with Naruto doesn't it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, it always peeved him whenever Itachi gave him that look. It was as if he was literally looking straight through your eyes and peering into your brain, revealing secrets and enabling you defenseless. Sasuke laced his arms together, "I think that's more of a statement than a question, isn't it?"

"Am I correct?"

Sasuke broke eye contact, giving Itachi the bliss of a victorious chuckle, "You know, the first part of getting a person back is finding them, right?"

"I know," the raven sighed, "but, I have no idea where to start looking."

Sasuke watched as his brother pulled a piece of paper out from underneath the annoying flower, "Here, I believe you might find this useful," sliding a folded note on his desk, "I can't help with the apologizing portion, however. That's your pride on the line, and your lesson to learn. But, I do suggest dropping to your knees and begging for forgiveness."

Sasuke snorted and reached for the sliver of paper. Just as he was about to unfold the note, Itachi doubled over in a fits of coughs. Sasuke immediately got up and went to his brother's side, absolutely troubled by the awful wheezes, but Itachi only waved him off. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and heaved into the cloth a couple more times before working on controlling his breathing, "I'm fine."

Sasuke caught a glimpse of blood speckling the white cotton before Itachi promptly folded it in half and shoved it out of sight, "No you're not, I thought you were gonna go to the doctors to get that checked out."

"Sasuke, I'm fine."

Itachi got up and composed himself, "Just trust me, okay? Focus on yourself first, you have a lot of crap to sort."

Sasuke stood up and looked up his brother almost pleadingly, "I will, I just...take care of yourself, too."

Itachi smiled and placed his hand on the younger's Uchiha's shoulder, giving him a reassuring nod, before making his way back to his office.

Sasuke settled back into his chair and continued unfolding the piece of paper. His eyes examined the letters and once he decipher its familiarity, dread sunk into his veins. "Neji's address... Itachi gave me Neji's address. Great..." he muttered to himself. His mind ventured back to the first time he began looking for Naruto. Knowing the blond, he knew asking Neji first would be the smartest thing to do. However, the idea was immediately shot down when he remembered why the Hyuuga and himself weren't on best terms; or on any terms.

When the news of what Sasuke had done to Naruto spread to the rest of the gang, everyone was furious. He could still easily recall the moment Iruka, Kakashi, Neji, Kiba, Tenten, Ino and Sai all barged open his front door. Everyone was screaming, wanting to get a hold of the couple; except for Sai, Iruka and Kakashi who just came in order to prevent the rest of the group from committing murder. Kakashi was restraining Kiba's uncoordinated punches and Iruka attempted to soothe Ino and Tenten, all the while, preventing them from slapping Sasuke and Sakura. But compared to the rest of the group, it was Neji who was the most enraged. Even with Itachi and Sai working together, they had difficulty trying to subdue him. Sasuke would never admit it, but the utterly animalistic glare projected on him drew levels of fear he had never explored. 3

Throughout the entire event, Sasuke stood in front of Sakura protecting her from the belongings thrown by the two women from their purses. It wasn't until the clock stroke 2:00 AM, Itachi had finally managed to settle everyone down and when Hinata came, she extinguished the remaining skirmishes and coerced them into going home. However, before she left, the well-mannered, gentle Hyuuga went straight to Sakura and slapped her right on the face, an action so bold that it left the remaining individuals speechless. Neji, on the other hand, didn't retire until he felt the pleasure of leaving a fist-sized bruise on the raven's face. Sakura cried herself to exhaustion as Itachi drove Sasuke to the hospital, where he spent the rest of his day as the nurses attended to his badly broken nose. After that, they never tried to get in touch with him nor did he ever dare attempt to reach out to them. Sure, he was still in contact with Kakashi and Iruka; but, he couldn't talk to them for too long. He always felt like a teen confronting the parents of the girl he got pregnant whenever he was in their presence. 7

Sasuke huffed and glared at the exact spot Itachi sat, "He's wants to kill me."

However, running through the short list of his other options, Sasuke pocketed the paper and began packing up his stuff. It was impossible to work with promises of blue eyes and blond hair circling his head. His only hope was that he wouldn't be risking his life for a prize of golden pyrite.

 **Sasuke's POV**

Adrenaline was already pumping through my body before the alarm rang. How long has it been? Two hours? Three? I've lost count how many hours I've spent staring at the ceiling, waiting for the clock to ring.

My hand shifted to strike the snooze, but my eyes remained lock on the bland plaster.

'Maybe this isn't such a good idea.'

I rolled my eyes, 'Wow, how original, it wasn't like I already knew that.'

I sighed, moving to paw at my face and hopefully appease the buzz continuously cursing at my fatigue. Warmth made my body roll to its side and face a landscape of white skin and pink flush, I sighed again, this time heavier. 'Why was I doing this again?' 1

I shook my head and quietly slipped out of the cold silk. Fortunately for me, the unforgiving bite of the bitter chill had blood rush to heat my skin. I shuffled across the frigid floor, to the connected bathroom and into the shower. Nothing could compare to the pleasure I felt as the water worked down my limbs, removing any memories of last night and coercing my heart to pump a little quicker. I flew through my usual agenda blindly: drying my hair, brushing my teeth, picking out a proper suit and checking out my overall appearance.

It wasn't until I was out of the door and inhaling the cutting autumn air did I catch a careless mistake; a repeated blemish. I rushed back inside, hoping that my actions weren't enough to disturb her slumber, but paused when I saw Sakura descending from the stairs. She looked slightly preoccupied with her phone and seemed oblivious to my presence.

"Sakura," I called out to her.

She jumped, but only faintly, and quickly turned off my phone, "Sasuke-kun! Where're you headed?"

"I'm going to the office. I have work I didn't finish from yesterday." It wasn't an entire lie. After visiting Neji, I planned on stopping by the office. I'm sure Itachi would chew me out if I didn't bother mending the complete blunders I caused whilst reviewing the reports. I approached her and she wrapped her arms around my neck when I leaned down. She briefly planted a kiss on my lips and looked at me straight in the eyes, "You know, you've been forgetting me a lot recently." 10

I flinched, recalling my recent nonchalant behavior. It seemed even my mind and body didn't even bother remembering without the effort of a reminder.

"I'm sorry, I've been pretty busy."

Sakura unhooked her arms and looked down, "That's...understandable."

Despite my suspicions, I was slightly glad when her phone vibrated in her pocket and chased away the silence threatening to consume the difficult atmosphere. I took the chance just as she was answering the call and slipped out of the door. We only nodded a silent good-bye to each other.

I immediately missed the breeze grazing my exposed skin the moment I entered my car and plopped down on its dark leather. Once the engines purred to life and adjusted to the arctic air, I drove out of the towering gates and began the trip towards the Hyuuga Mansion. The drive there would be fairly long, an hour or two at the most, but it would allow me to plan and contemplate.

Of the seven people that screamed at me on that hectic night, Neji undeniably alarmed me the most. The usually stoic man screamed profanities at my face and threw multiple fists at my direction. Neji was a nice guy, but he terrifies people when enraged; and I was no exception. To go to his house, uninvited as well, would be pure suicide. Then again, I deserved his anger. I can't even assure my conscience that I'm entitled enough to defend myself from the punches he might hurl at my face if I see him today.

What I did must've destroyed Naruto if Neji was that riled up. They were quite close, so close that their friendship had me jealous a couple time while Naruto and I were dating. My heart clenched when Kakashi told me of the endless nights where Naruto would spend countless hours just laying in bed and crying. It hurt to hear about the pain Naruto went through because of me and the guilt I still feel keeps eating away at my insides. 7

I chuckled bitterly at myself, "You hypocrite."

I rejected Naruto, broke his heart and destroyed his trust in me... How the hell can I prove myself to him when I can't even convince myself that I might actually win him back? No, that I deserve to win him back. I even proposed to him. We declared to give our undying love to each other and he gave me his all. What did I do next? I completely shattered everything we built up.

A red light halted me at a deserted corner. I groaned and whacked my head on the steering wheel. I should just go back. Leaving Naruto alone would mean leaving him in peace. 6

It was a strong argument, I even went through routes in my brain that would direct me to the Uchiha tower, but that meant going back to Sakura, forever. I wanted to bash my head on the wheel again, but the light switched green and an impatient driver beeped frantically for me to move. When I began cheating on Naruto, I thought I loved Sakura. What I didn't know was that I was only enamored by her body. She was the first woman that caught my attraction and she was the only woman I slept with. My mind was overcome with lust and I chased her without any regard for consequences. I'm not going to lie, I did love her and maybe I still do, but what Naruto gave me, his drive that pushed me to succeed, his loyal, sometimes even blind, love towards me, was never something Sakura could manage. Eventually, with time, my mentality were able to fully mature and I began to crave something more than physical appeal. We grew apart. On the day I found out that she was cheating, I felt nothing and just accepted it, believing that it was inevitable. It disturbed me, the utter indifference I perceived knowing that other men were touching my girlfriend. She tries to keep her meet-ups secret, but I always manage to find out. I'm certain Sakura's not aware of her obvious secret. I attempted to fool my conscience, trying to convince myself I felt jealous, but I just couldn't. I couldn't feel the burn that would rise whenever I saw Naruto laughing with Neji. The moment I realized I had compared my relationship with Sakura to mine's with Naruto, I lost all desire to rekindle the bonds. 5

Naruto, why did you even bother with me all those years? Why didn't I cherish your love? Why wasn't I able to figure out that I loved you and only you?

I was surprised when the mansion came into my view of sight. I suppose cheesy thoughts and self pity can usually take a large chunk of your time. The gates opened automatically as I got closer and I continued down the long driveway, parking my car behind a sterling Lexus. I quickly cut off the engine and stepped out to view the space. The mansion was larger than I had remembered and the colorful rays of orange and yellow marigold leading to the entrance was new. A small orange bike laid sleeping on the verdant lawn and soccer ball was tucked underneath. I raised an inquiring eyebrow, "Children?"

I had figured Naruto would be here, but children was something that never came to mind. If Neji had kids and a wife, then there's be a large chance that Naruto wouldn't be here. I faltered at the idea. Well, I can always haggle him for questions.

Just as I had begun walking towards the opaque glass doors, Neji walked out with a silver thermos in one hand and a suitcase in the other. He stopped and looked at me in absolute shock, but the expression quickly wore off and morphed into outright animosity.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was dripped with impatience and his lavender eyes were squinted in a death glare so full of malice that even a dead man would grow cold and run away in fear. Nevertheless, I stood up straight and stared at him dead on.

"I'm here to talk to Naruto."

The gaze grew fiery, he took two steps towards my direction, "He's not here," and passed by me to resume his trek towards his vehicle, making sure to hit my shoulder on the way.

I blocked his passage and was hit dead on with another mind-numbing glare. It was a risky move provoking the guy, he was about my height and completely competent when it comes to physical altercations, but neither of us was were leaving until I got my answers. "I just want to talk to speak with him."

He dropped his suitcase and jabbed my chest, "Why? Here for a second-rebound, Uchiha?"

I started to get exasperated, so I took one-step closer towards him allowing our gazes to clash in a heated contest. "I just want to talk, okay. That's it," I seethed.

"Naruto doesn't deserve this, he doesn't deserve you. Did you know, he's still hurting? He still can't tell Menma-," Neji instantly silenced midway his statement and turned his head.

I was too caught up on a name to even notice the remorse in his eyes, "Menma? Who's Menma?"

Neji avoided my stare and remained mute; a grimace contorting his face as though he had regretted saying those last words.

"You know what, maybe I'll just stay here until Naruto arrives," I almost smiled at the quick twitch of his eye, so Naruto did live here.

Neji had a look of contemplation before speaking, "If...if I tell you what you want to hear, will you leave him alone?"

"I will. Like I told you, I'm only here to talk."

Neji looked at me, wanting to call my bluff, but otherwise kept silent. He picked up the nearly forgotten suitcase and gestured with a slight turn of the head to follow him.

The interior of the house was much larger than the outside. A long, spindled staircase greeted me at the door along with clutters of toys strewn across the white polished flooring. The living room, decorated with white vinyl couches, looked homely with its patterned throws cloaking the sofas and bundle of unfolded clothing sitting idle in a hamper by the side of the coffee table. The whole mansion felt domestic and warm; a complete opposite of what I felt at home.

Neji sat down on a loveseat while I sat down on a recliner across from him.

He combed through his long hair, particularly paying attention to his scalp, and sighed,"Listen closely, Uchiha. Remember the night you broke Naruto's heart? Left him crying and slightly delirious?" 2

I looked away, guilt filling up every crevice of my being.

"Yeah, well, he was supposed to tell you some pretty important information. Before you cut him off, he wanted to tell you that-"

"I was pregnant."

Neji and I turned to look at the new figures approaching us. I looked at Naruto straight in the eyes, then at the small child holding his hand. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "What?"


	4. Chapter 4

Ironically, it was Naruto who had the most stoic expression compared to the other two men in the room. Menma was staring curiously at Sasuke and he stared back with the same amount of confusion. Whilst Neji's mouth was slightly agape, surprised at the unforeseen encounter and immediately fearing the consequences. For a second, they just remained that way; staring at one another in a sense of bitter wonderment and curiosity. It was only Menma's little hushed voice that interrupted the stressful ambience, "Chichi, you're squeezing my hand too tight."

Naruto immediately let go of the little hand and leaned down, whispering, "I'm sorry," in a muted voice.

Sasuke looked back at the kid with a dazed expression. He almost felt a form of déjà vu while studying the tike. He pawed at his face and analyzed him with more a bit more scrutiny, fighting the urge to stand up and pat the obsidian head to assure himself that his weary mind wasn't just conjuring illusions. It was almost difficult to grasp the surreal feeling of viewing a face so eerily similar to his child-self. He studied the cherub features and even took note of the short ponytail pulling his raven locks from his face. However, the only feature that honestly drew the majority of his attention were the brilliant cerulean eyes bluntly contradicting the 'Uchiha' complexion.

Neji blinked a couple times and smiled, choosing to ignore the tension accumulating in the atmosphere, "Well, good afternoon Menma, how was your day?"

Sasuke watched as a toothy grin began to spread across Menma's face, amused at how luminous the smile was despite what his features foretold. "It was really fun, Neji-tan. Chichi took me to go get some ice cream and we had a really nice, long talk at the park."

"Neji, can you please take Menma to his room?" Naruto's words were brief. If he were to talk any quicker, Sasuke wouldn't trust his ears to catch anything without a sense of doubt. He switched his concern to Naruto, but his eyes was entirely directed at the man in front of him.

Neji looked at blond with disbelief, "Are you sure?"

Naruto tried to project as much confidence as he could muster in his face, "It's alright, I promise."

The Hyuuga hesitated, knowing full well that Sasuke's appearance would most likely take a toll on the latter's health. The utterly wretched tremble that passed through his facade already exposed the whirlwind of distress he felt. But, he wanted to trust Naruto and when he muttered a silent 'please,' he succumbed and got up. "Come on Menma, let's get you comfortable."

Menma nodded and chirped, "Okay!"

Once the pair was gone and the sound of a closed door reached their ears, Sasuke faced Naruto in nervous apprehension. A deafening lull hushed the living room and unspoken words burdened the air with hesitant turmoil.

"Naruto-"

"Get out." His request was clean, crisp and fleeting. Sasuke had to pause for a split second to recognize what the words were.

Sasuke stood up to get a little closer to Naruto, but the other withdrew from his reach and tilted towards the door. "Naruto, please I want to talk."

"What is it, Uchiha?" His response was cold, unmoving and blue eyes betrayed none of the familiar compassion he foolishly anticipated.

"I just want to talk."

"Okay, we'll talk. What do you want to talk about?" Despite the golden opportunity to express some sarcasm, Naruto remained mild and soft-spoken. The sheer and outlandish calmness in his voice had Sasuke feeling edgy, unable to start conversations with ease. He swallowed down his discomfort and approached him once again, "Is it true? Was that kid-Menma-really mine?"

"H-how?"

Naruto sighed and for the first time, Sasuke noticed age weighing his eyes and casting its shadows, "That's...a talk for another time."

"Okay, then why didn't you tell me about him?"

"I felt that maybe it was better if I just left you alone..."

Something about his response annoyed Sasuke. He stepped even closer and toughened his voice, "And what? Leave me oblivious to the fact that I have a son?"

Naruto almost sneered, "Don't you dare use that tone on me. You don't have a son. You left him the same day you left me." 1

"Well, maybe if you had told me about him I-"

"You what? You would've come back for me? Even if you did, it wouldn't have erased the fact that you cheated on me." Naruto took a moment to calm his rigid breathing. His voice was getting louder and he was close to screaming his last sentence. The last thing he wanted would be a violent argument his son was able to hear.

The immediate guilt Sasuke felt extinguished his irritation without difficulty and he instantly felt like an asshole for raising his voice, "I..."

"Is that all?"

Silence. Sasuke didn't know what to say. What kind of remorseful sentence could he compose that might even come close to apologizing for what he's done? He took a deep breath and prayed to every omnipotent being that he wouldn't be killed.

Naruto raised his hand towards the door, "Okay, you can lea-"

"I want you back."

Naruto swung by so fast that Sasuke didn't even realize that his behind had hit the ground. A strong stinging sensation radiated from the area that the blond's palm had connected with his face.

"I said. Get. Out."

Sasuke stood up, but he didn't head for the door. Instead he pulled Naruto into an embrace.

"What the hell! Get off me!"

Sasuke remained impassive while Naruto struggled against his chest. "I'll let go, once you stop crying."

"I'm not crying." His pathetic response was barely convincing as his vision began blurring from the unshed tears he failed to suppress. Realizing that his chances of escape were slim, Naruto succumbed to the ache in his chest and began sobbing. He continued wiggling and pounding his fist against Sasuke's ribs, but they were blurbed and messy. Sasuke hugged him tighter, taking in every 'I hate you' and 'Bastard' that came from the blond's choked up protests. He damned the shame building up in his stomach for even slightly directing the attention towards himself. He felt even worse as the best comfort he could give were the whispering and muttering of faint apologies. They slid down the wall, unable to properly balance each other, and clung to one another. 1

Eventually, Naruto calmed down and regained his senses. When Sasuke heard the sniffles lighten, he stabled their stance and loosened his grip on Naruto. The latter saw his chance and in a burst of adrenaline pushed Sasuke away. It was slightly successful, they were no longer embracing, but Naruto still felt that their hands were too close, their bodies were too attached and their faces were too near.

Sasuke reached for his hand and Naruto allowed it, "Please Naruto, I want to know my son, our son."

Naruto refused to make eye contact and remained inert in Sasuke's clasped hands, "Menma wants you. He needs you in his life. It'd be wrong if I didn't."

"Naruto," Sasuke pled, "I'm so sorry."

"It's Namikaze. My last name is Namikaze."

Sasuke flinched at the formality and detached his fingers from Naruto's, "Fair enough."

"Chichi?"

Naruto jumped at the small voice coming from the stairs. He composed himself and placed a smile on his face, Sasuke was almost amazed at the change in demure and felt another twinge in his heart. How many times has he pulled up a fake masquerade? How many times has he buried his heartache behind a smile?

"Yes, akachan?"

Menma approached the couple and stared at Sasuke, "Is he my Otosan?"

"Ah-" Naruto wanted to choke himself. He shouldn't have allowed his emotions to get the best of him.

"Yes," Sasuke interjected, "yes I am."

"So you're Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Yes."

"Can you have dinner with us?"

He was entirely taken aback at the forward question and clearly so was Naruto.

Naruto waved his hands, "Uh, I'm sorry akachan, but your Otosan is very busy. We can't just interrupt his tight schedule."

Menma's shoulders slumped and he turned to face Sasuke, "Is that true? You've been busy for a long time."

Sasuke saw Naruto flinch from his peripheral vision, but didn't bother questioning it, "Yes, I'm very busy. I'm sorry, Menma, maybe another time."

"Can't you push it off? I just want to spend time with you."

He felt guilt grapple at his heart when he looked into the large, blue eyes begging for him to yield. I didn't want to push Naruto, but the devastatingly adorable gaze had him riding a train of shame, "I guess I can make some time."

Sasuke watched as Naruto face morphed from fear, to anger, to annoyance, to panic then slightly pleased. He was slightly troubled at the flutter of emotions, but mimicked his pleased gaze when he noticed how much Menma's face had lit up. The tike ran up to Sasuke and surprised him in a hug. He awkwardly ruffled the little head, startled by the blunt show of affection and watched him scuttle to hug Naruto as well.

"Thank you Chichi!"

Naruto was unable to hold in a smile, "Anything for you, akachan."

Menma scampered upstairs to his room, startling Neji, sitting anxious at the foot of his bed, with his rushed word and excited grin. While Neji was busy attempting to decipher the thrilled ramblings, the tension below quietly escalated to an uncomfortable silence. Sasuke gripped his wrist, unable to form any reasonable sentence to fit the atmosphere. Should he apologize? For what? He still has a chance to take it back, maybe with a decent enough excuse. But could he really destroy Menma's radiant beam? He opened his mouth, ready to voice his regret, "Nar-Namekazi, I-"

"Can you pick us up at 10:00?"

Naruto didn't turn to face him. The stitches holding all of his emotions were at the brink of splitting and he had barely enough energy to continue suppressing the screams threatening to spill from his lips. Sasuke saw him tighten his hands into fists and raised his hands in reassurance.

"I can, but...You don't have to do this."

This time, Naruto was able to build up enough control to stare at him straight in the eyes, provoking a rush of cold to erupt from his stomach and sweep across his whole body. Sasuke couldn't make out rage, hostility nor raw malevolence swirling in the familiar glare. Instead, he saw nothing, just emptiness speaking in a form of foreign malice he had yet to fathom.

"I'm only doing it for Menma."

Sasuke couldn't respond, with vacant eyes still meeting his, he just couldn't. Of course he felt guilt, he had not intentions of pushing Naruto this far, but what else could he do? He couldn't bring himself to disappoint his son once again and no amount of remorseful words can express his guilt. So, what CAN he do? Sasuke backed away, undeniably regretting his foolish choice to pursue his immature desires, and headed for the door, wishing only to drown himself in unfinished reports. Naruto followed his back until he disappeared behind the opaque doors, all the while quenching the need to throw a vase at the retreating behind. When he heard the humming engine fade away, he shifted his body to face the exit and sank against the wall, eyes still glued to the frosted glass. This was it, no more turning back. It's dinner with Sasuke and vulnerability would be playing heavily in the front. He could've easily stopped it, pushed the troubling man out the door and out his life, but he didn't have the heart to tolerate the unrelenting self-hatred his son felt. He was trapped and he knew it. With all his attention directed to unraveling recent events, he didn't notice the tears slowly trickling down his face. He only acknowledged the salty droplets when his vision considerably dimmed and the burn in his throat from unvoiced sobs interrupted his weak string of consciousness. Naruto raised his legs and curled his body, attempting to find enough comfort to prepare himself for the onslaught of misery promised tonight.


	5. Not Chapter 5

Hi everyone. In the comments, tell me which pairing i should do and the amount with the most amount of votes wins.

 **Also tell me if I should make more like this.**

Ages

Naruto- 26

Menma- 5

Sasuke- 27

Neji- 28

Kakashi- 39

Iruka- 38

Sai- 26

Kiba- 26

Hinata- 25

Itachi- 32

I'm not gonna even include Sakura (-_-)

Translations

Akachan- baby

Chichi- Daddy

Otosan- Father

And that's all, I just wanted to clear up their ages. ^^


	6. Chapter 6

Pretty long chapter ahead. In the comments tell me which pairing you want. I have three for naruneji, two for narusasu, and two for (the best in my opinion) kill yourself fag.

It didn't take long for the sun to disappear from the sky and when it was time, Naruto cursed the day for disappearing too quickly. Sasuke pulled up in the driveway of a crowded restaurant. The blaring silver luminescent of the eatery screamed "Brasserie Les Halles" in an eye burning scintillate. A string of white bulbs surrounded the name of the outlet and a mixture of mahogany and maroon lumber underlined the structure of the glass window. Well-dressed people chattered and laughed while waiters scurried about to serve awaiting customers their ornate feast.

Everything about the bistro dripped with meretriciousness and Naruto did not appreciate it one bit. Menma, on the other hand, took one peep at the title of the restaurant and tilted his head in confusion. "A French restaurant? In Japan?"

Sasuke caught wisp of the quiet muttering and turned his head, "How'd you know it was French?"

"Uh," the little raven turned his head, embarrassment heating the round cheeks, "from the name?"

Naruto peeked at the restaurant name, "French? How'd you learn about French, akachan?"

The tike shrugged his shoulders, "I was looking around in the library and saw a book on French. It looked interesting."

Naruto turned in his seat, completely avoiding Sasuke's gaze, and pinched Menma's nose, "You really are my little genius aren't you?"

Menma wiggled away from the grasp and giggled, "Ahh, no! Not the nose!"

They both shared a laugh while Sasuke watched quietly, he felt removed and out of place in the domestic aura. He genuinely desired to join in the exchanges of affection, but hostile blue eyes and foreign fondness had him at a lost at what to do. He coughed into his hand awkwardly and looked at his watch.

"It seems we're pretty early," he interrupted, "we'll have to wait here for at least fifteen minutes."

Naruto nodded, showing he understood, but made no other advances in communicating with him. In no time, there was an unpleasant silence blanketing them in suffocating uneasiness. Menma looked between the two adults in front of him, clearly placing as much effort as possible to avoid eye-contact, and attempted to formulate a plan. He sifted through his brain and decided on a fairly safe and innocent idea; well innocent enough to keep them oblivious.

"Chichi! Let's play a game."

"Okay," Naruto unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted himself, "what game do you have in mind?"

"I want to play I Spy."2

"Sure, that's a great way to spend time. You want to go first?"

"Yeah! But first, rules," Menma crossed his arms and looked over at Sasuke, "in order for everyone to participate, there will be limited guesses. I think three is fair."

Naruto's eyes quickly flicked over to his side, but avoided the onyx orbs. Sasuke mirrored his action, but allowed his eyes to linger for a second.

"What a nice move, akachan," he smiled, but the twinkle didn't reach his eyes.

"Hm, I spy with my little eye...something blue. It's in the car and it's very close. Chichi?"

"Let's see," Naruto scanned his setting, "Is it... your shirt?"

"Nope."

"Is it your adorable eyes?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere Chichi." 5

Sasuke chuckled. Smart kid.

"Okay, okay," Naruto raised his hand, slightly disturbed at the sensitivity of his ears to Sasuke's laughter, "I'm sorry. Last guess. Hmm, is it... the seats?"

"Chichi, the seats are black."

"Does that mean I get another try?"

"Nope."

Naruto ducked his head, "You can be really mean, you know that?"

Menma waved his finger, "Fair is fair. Now it's Uchiha-sama's turn."

"You don't have to be so formal, kid. You can call me whatever you want."

"Okay, can I call you Otosan?"

Sasuke wasn't counting on his heart to skip a beat from a dispirited glum, "Yeah, that's fine."

"So, what's your guess, Otosan?"

"Um," Sasuke studied his car, "can I ask questions?"

"Depends."

When the older Uchiha laughed again, Naruto couldn't help himself from blushing. His ears were too perceptive and his heart was too responsive. He gripped his fingers tighter, physically restraining himself from swinging the door open and running out into the street. 1

"Is it in the car?"

"Yup."

"Is it on the car?"

"Well, it's not part of the car, that's for sure."

Sasuke focused his eyes on every curve and corner. He was about to ask another question when his gaze locked on Naruto's face. He was slightly turned away from him, but the rosiness in his cheeks were very visible. He tried to deviate his attention else where, but his glance just continued upward. Without even the slightest hint of a thought, Sasuke whispered, "It's his eyes."

Naruto directed his gaze at Sasuke, surprised at his comment. The moment their stares locked, their eyes began to feel heavy. It was almost difficult to break the eye-contact. All reasoning and restless thoughts were damned from their brains and there was nothing in their mind but to keep their attention towards the emotions that peeked from each others' eyes.

Menma watched and smiled victoriously, "Correct."

It was barely a minute when Naruto lowered his head and stepped out of the car. He rushed inside and asked the closest person where the bathroom was. He half-ran and half-walked to the appointed door and quickly closed the exit. Everything from mixed emotions to direct rants bombarded his head and filled his stomach with alarm.

'What the hell was that?'

'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?'

Clutching at the roots of his hair caused his scalp to throb in ache, but helped contain his sanity. He wasn't supposed to feel this way. It's wrong and it's certain that heartache and tears will follow.

Naruto hovered over the sink and looked into the mirror. His reflection was awful. Not just from his somewhat disheveled appearance, but the vulnerability in his face. He just allowed the one person who managed to destroy him to an extent of multiple mental breakdowns to witness him exposed. How much more stupider can he get? He palmed his face, turned the faucet and began soaking himself in water. He only stopped when he heard a gentle knock at the door.

"Chichi?"

After patting his cheeks dry, Naruto faced the mirror to look at his stretched grin. 'You can do this.'

When Naruto opened the door, he was startled to find Menma at the brink of tears. He rushed to pick the tike up into his arms, "What's wrong?"

Menma tightened his grip around Naruto's neck, "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I just wanted to fix something."

Naruto cradled him, "You didn't do anything wrong. I just had to go to the bathroom really bad."

The little raven detached himself from Naruto's shoulder, "Are you sure?"

"Promise."

"They're getting our table ready," Sasuke interjected. Naruto saw him quickly peer at his direction, but instantly focus on the ticket in his hand.

He was about to speak, but his voice disappeared from his throat when he saw their waiter come around the corner.

Naruto's eyes almost bulged. "Sai!? What're you doing here?"

Sai's stunned expressions morphed into a wide smile, "What a nice surprise. Well Naruto-kun, unlike you, my ass isn't pert enough to attract rich, hot men."

"The crap Sai! Can't you see my kid's here?"

Menma smiled and waved towards Sai, "Evening, Sai-san. Are you going to be our waiter?"

"Hello, Menma and yup, I'll be with you guys all night long."

"I refuse," Naruto hastily threw his head side to side, "I don't want you as my waiter."

"Too bad, honeybuns. I'm the only free waiter at the moment. Now will you-," Sai paused when his eyes caught a flash of a familiar glare, "oh, it seems I've ignored a guest. I have to say, quite an unpleasant surprise seeing you here, Sasuke-kun."

He turns around, facing Sasuke properly with another sarcastically disturbing grin playing at his lips, "Here for a rebound?"

Sasuke glared at the other man. It itched at his side to throw back an insult into his smug face, but there was nothing he could really prove by doing so; other than being more of an asshole.

Naruto settled Menma on the floor, sensing the temperature drop a couple degrees, and stepped in between the two rigid men, "Sai, that's enough. I don't want Menma hearing about this."

Sai noticed the tremor in his voice and surrendered with his hands up, backing away, "Whatever you say. Now, if you're starving in any way or form, please feel free to follow me."

Naruto sighed and motioned for Menma. The little tike scampered to Naruto's side, somewhat confused and upset by what he saw. What did Sai mean by rebound? And why did Sasuke look so angry by what he said? Naruto lifted the small tike and balanced him on his hip before following Sai's swiftly departing back.

Sasuke took a little longer to trail behind, his annoyance broiled at the pit of his stomach. It was infuriating to be mocked by Sai. He also possessed the maddening skill of determining exactly what distasteful issue to put forth and it was irritating. He took a deep breath and shadowed Naruto's steps.

The inside of the building was surprisingly much larger than what the outside structure had promised. Dim, spherical lights embellished the brick walls generating a home-like aura accentuated with some lavish tones. Charming little bulbs of light dangled from the ceiling, filling the remaining gloomy areas with the perfect amount of contrast. The elegantly, round tables and simple, white chairs wrapped the walls, coiling around the room, and lovely assortment of white lilies and red roses resting at the center of each table was the finishing touch that pleased the eye. The exquisite arrays of spices swimming among the dull scent of vanilla and cinnamon danced around everyone's senses, delighting their noses and stomachs with promises of high class cuisine.

With the majority of the chairs filled, it was obvious to tell when the continuous prattle declined. The judging gazes and gossiping whispers entertained themselves by directly switching their topic to the line of men mutely passing through the tables.

"Is that Uchiha-kun?"

"You mean the Uchiha Sasuke?"

"He looks so handsome and composed."

"Who's that guy behind him? The one carrying the cute kid?"

"I have no idea, but he looks adorable."

"He looks like a foreigner."

"How 'bout the little boy in his arms? He looks strangely like Uchiha-sama."

Menma felt the intense pressure radiating from every person's scrutinize. It crawled at his skin being at the center of attention and the not-so-subtle murmurs had him shrinking his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck and buried his face at the collar. Naruto literally felt the distress coming off the tike in waves and began rubbing his back. Truthfully, he also suffered some discomfort from the peering eyes. It was uncomfortable listening to people exchange their opinions about you practically two feet away. He looked ahead and noticed Sasuke had squeezed himself between Sai and himself. From what he could see, the man seemed utterly unaffected by the conversations around him. It was annoying that he founding it a tad bit admirable, but a little sad. How many times has he gone somewhere to relax only to find himself amidst everyone's discussions? It must've taken a lot to teach himself how to ignore them.

Naruto kept staring at Sasuke's back, also noting the physical changes. He held himself even higher, back straighter. Being on the brink of inheriting such an enormous company must do that to you. His hair was a little shorter, but it was still molded into his signature style, and his shoulders broadened slightly with much more developed muscles. In short, he exhibited maturity and sophistication that had Naruto feeling flustered.

While glaring at his back, Naruto made accidental eye-contact when Sasuke turned his head. He abruptly averted his eyes and focused on the ground, shame vexingly heating up his face and hoping he hadn't spotted his ogling. Sasuke, however, still succeeded in catching his eyes. He remained staring at the blond, a little confused but more or less curious and amused. He was about to question him but Sai interrupted.

"Welcome to your personally designed room," he swung the beautiful, double doors open and ushered everyone inside.

Naruto tried, and clearly failed, not gawking at the room. A simple, but dazzling, chandelier hung from the ceiling and the small bunches of light hidden in between the crystals bathed the entire room in an unearthly brilliance. The white cloth, intricately lined with baby blue lace, enveloped the fairly large table at the center. Three yellow seats, also exquisitely coated in white lace, surrounded the table. In front of them were their utensils atop a cloth folded into delicate little roses.

Menma detached his face from his father's neck and thirstily took in every detail of the expensive décor adorning the white walls. "It's so bright here," he remarked.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "wait, Sai, you said this was personally designed?"

"Yup, you need a pretty bloated wallet to get one of these rooms reserved."

Naruto looked at Sasuke, but his concern was only aimed at the table. He followed his focus and almost gasped. A bouquet of flowers gleamed at the heart of the table. It was a plain bundle, composed of only light blue delphiniums and sunflowers, but they were gorgeous and absolutely stunning in Naruto's opinion. He slowly lowered Menma to the ground, allowing the toddler to explore, and took careful steps towards the vibrant centerpiece. He extended a delicate hand towards the amber blossom and gently stroked the silky petals. The latter grinned, entirely taken by the beauty and significance of the flowers.

Sasuke watched Naruto approach the assortment intently and only managed to feel relief when he saw the shy smile playing at his lips.

"Something wrong with the flowers?," Sai asked.

The blond leisurely shook his head, "No, in the matter of fact, they're perfect," he assured, hesitantly withdrawing his fingers and turning to face Sai.

Sai was somewhat taken a back by the honest smile Naruto gave him, but promptly responded with a proper smile of his own. It was beyond rare for Naruto to smile at him with so much sincerity, so he didn't feel like ruining the moment.

"Please take your seats. I'll be back in about five minutes to take your orders," he bowed and closed the doors behind him, leaving everyone to arrange themselves. Naruto was still in a state of charm from the flowers, thus remaining silent, and Sasuke was working on ebbing away his displeasure, thus remaining silent as well.

Menma was the first to speak, since both his parents were clearly not in the right case of mind, "The flowers are really pretty. Aren't they your favorites, chichi?," he pointed to the luminous strokes of yellow and blue.

Naruto shook himself from trance, "Yes, they are. Should we sit and look through the menu?"

"Yeah," Menma rubbed his belly, "I'm pretty hungry."

Sasuke watched as Naruto helped Menma into the seat in between them, finally overcoming his ire, and only sat down himself once they were done. Everyone flipped open the menus left by Sai and began scanning the pages for anything that sounded delectable.

"Wow, look chichi," Menma pointed his page towards Naruto, "they actually have a pretty long kid's menu."

"Interesting, do you see anything you like?"

"Hmm," Menma studied his choices, "I'll just have the macaroni and cheese."

"Why that one? I can always make you mac and cheese at home."

"Well, I'd rather order one that's pretty familiar. I don't want to choose something that I might end up not liking. Plus, it's pretty hard messing mac and cheese up."

Sasuke peered over the menu, entertained by what he just heard, "You're one smart kid aren't you?"

"Not really," Menma giggled and shrugged, "I just don't want to waste money. I'm sure reserving this room was expensive enough as it is."

"Hah, you sound more like an adult than I do, akachan."

"That's because you're pretty immature, chichi."

Sasuke smothered a chuckle with a cough and tried to hide. Naruto gaped and pouted, feeling defeated, and went back to leafing through the carte, hoping he might catch a glimpse of one specific dish.

Menma saw a vein begin to pulse at his temple and commented, "Chichi, they don't have ramen here if that's what you're looking for."

"Then what kind of restaurant if this?"

"A really good one."

"I beg to differ," Naruto rebutted, "a decent restaurant would have at least one ramen dish."

Menma huffed and turned to Sasuke, "Otosan, help me out here. Chichi eats an unhealthy amount of ramen almost everyday, he needs help."

"Some things just never change, Menma. He was like that even in Junior High."

"I thought so."

Naruto was about to point out the benefits of ramen for your soul when the doors lurched open. "So, what shall I serve you fine gentlemen today?"

"Quite it with the creepy smile, Sai. It makes my insides crawl."

"Naruto-kun, this is what you call customer service."

"I'm sorry to intrude," Menma interjected, "but I'm pretty hungry."

"I'm sorry, Menma. What's your order?"

"Uh, apple juice and some mac and cheese, please."

Sai got down to writing the entrées, "Okay."

Sasuke saw Naruto's face still contorted in uncertainty and spoke next, "I'll have the Italian salad and some water."

"Uhhh...," Naruto scratched his cheek indecisively, his eyes repeatedly ghosting over the pages in search of anything appetizing.

Sai flipped and notebook shut and began collecting the menus, even snatching the one Naruto was examining, "Don't worry Naruto-kun, I already ordered your meal for you."

"What?!," Naruto hissed.

"I'm sure you'll like the dish, I promise," He left without another word, lightly kicking the doors shut with his foot.

"That pervert, he'll probably roofie me of something," the blond muttered under his breath.

"Chichi, what's a roofie?" Menma inquired.

Naruto stumbled, "A ...um... eehhhh,"

"A date-rape drug," Sasuke answered.

Realization dawned on him, "Ohhh, never mind I've read about that." 1

"Wha- I think it's time I start controlling what you read." 3

The time they spent waiting was mostly composed of Naruto and Menma playfully arguing about politics; Sasuke commented every once in a while, but more often than not, remained frequently passive. Whilst watching them, Sasuke wondered about how to get his relationship with Naruto on at least a friendly level. The blond wouldn't even talk to him and hardly exceeded eye-contact for more than five-seconds. Well, there was only one moment and that had him high-tailing towards the restaurant. Having to answer Menma as to why his father had just fled to the bathroom, alone, in the car was fairly difficult. Plus, it sorta hurt. Okay, he felt pretentious thinking that way, he had no right feeling sorry for himself. He'd seen Naruto; the glint in his gaze, the emotions stocked away in his flashing smiles, there was so much misery in his heart.

'Ugh, you asshole.'

With each person engrossed in their actions, they barely paid heed to Sai waltz in the room, plates and cups balanced precariously on his arms, "Alright! Your savior has come."

He gently placed each platter and drink on the table, one by one, "Mac and cheese and apple juice for the brat-,"

"Hey!"

"-rabbit food and water for the ass-," 4

"Hn."

"-and a bowl of special ramen for a special idiot."

Naruto flicked his head upwards, "What? I thought they didn't serve ramen here."

Sai shrugged nonchalantly, "They don't, the cook just owed me one."

"Well, thanks. I appreciate that."

"Anything for you, dic-"

"Finish that sentence and you die."

A glare was stuck on Naruto's eyes, but he erupted into a phase of giggles once Sai chuckled. Sasuke concentrated on their laughter and unconsciously tightened his grip on his fork.

"You know, you've been giving me a lot of smiles, does that mean I have a chance?" Sai commented, stepping closer to Naruto

He pushed the latter's face, "Get out of here. I don't want to see your face while I'm eating."

Sai retreated back to the entrance, waving his hand dismissively, and winked, "Yes, yes, I'll be back for desserts."

Naruto stuck out his tongue and stirred the ramen, sipping the broth and groaning from the absolute heaven that rolled down his throat. He impatiently puffed at the noodles before stuffing it in his face, table etiquette be damned.

While Sasuke distastefully watched the blond basically inhale the ramen, Menma poked at his food. "Chichi?"

Naruto stopped his unsightly guzzling for a second, "Hmf?"

"Do you... do you like Sai-san?" Sasuke bit his tongue to prevent from 'tsk'-ing.

"Huh?" He swallowed the mouthful of ramen, "That's pretty random thing to ask."

"Well, I'm just a little curious."

"Hmm, no, not romantically if that's what you're asking."

Menma's head dropped even further, carefully hiding his eyes-and hopefully his emotions as well-underneath his bangs, "Do you like Otosan?"

Naruto stilled and Sasuke's breath wavered. He lowered his chopsticks and sat a little straighter, "I'm sorry, akachan. I can't really answer that. Chichi and Otosan just met again after a really long time, it might take a while."

He made sure to choose his words delicately, even speaking a little slower, to suitably express a response that would certainly satisfy Menma as well as conveying his reluctance to the man in front of him. Sasuke understood completely and released the air burning his lungs.

Menma's shoulders fell slightly, dejected at how his answer was deflected, "Sorry, I shouldn't have prodded."

"It's all right. You don't have to worry about us, akachan. We just need some getting used to that's all."

"Don't worry, Menma," Sasuke continued, "I have no intentions of leaving you guys again. I promise."

Disappointment left him as he stared at the reassuring faces. Menma smiled and began spooning the macaroni into his mouth, hiccuping when he accidentally ate too much. Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who scolded him for eating too fast and even dabbed at his face to remove the cheese that somehow already coated his cheeks. Naruto giggled, opting to wallow in the moment and enjoy the domestic aura instead of further troubling his son.

Everybody unanticipated the cheer they enjoyed throughout the evening, considering their awkward and intractable beginning. Menma made sure that there wasn't a minute that went by without some form of entertainment and hilarity. Naruto and Sasuke may have not held a conversation for too long with each other, but the atmosphere was too pleasant to feel on edge. They even lightly quarreled with the bills. In the end, their cheeks felt weary from smiling and exhaustion had settled on everyone's back.

Sasuke held the door open for Naruto, who's arms were occupied with lulling Menma.

Sai jogged around the corner and caught them as they exited, "See you tomorrow, Naruto-kun. And Sasuke-kun...things don't usually come again a second time, don't screw up."

It wasn't exactly a friendly farewell, but Sasuke nodded, acknowledging his advice.

Naruto waved his free hand and whispered, "See ya," before treading out into the numbing winds. He hugged Menma closer as he trotted to the car, opened the back door and tenderly laid him on the sable, leather chairs. He frowned as the tike shivered and retracted himself into a ball. He peeled of his woolen coat and softly wrapped his quivering body. Menma sighed and snuggled into the warmth, a sense of peacefulness resting on his face. Naruto watched his son's features, brushing off a stray lock, and bent down to place a kiss on his forehead, "Sleep well, akachan."

He closed the door as silently as possible and made his way to the passenger seat. Sasuke watched as Naruto plopped down and shuddered. Without a single word, he tugged off his jacket and threw it into the latter's lap.

Naruto eyeballed the discarded clothing, "I don't need this."

"Just take what's offered to you, Namikaze."

He contemplated on whether or not to take the inviting offer, but the bitting chill made his choice for him. He bundled himself in the cloak, subconsciously appreciating its scent, "Thanks...and you can just call me Naruto."

Sasuke briskly peeked at Naruto as he busied himself with the car, "What's with the sudden change."

"I figured Menma would probably question our formality."

"Hn, if you're okay with it."

Naruto lazily followed the streetlights dimly illuminating the road, it didn't take long for his lids to grow inevitably weighted and sleep chased the tail of fatigue eagerly. Sasuke focused on the endless road and tried to ignore the blond tirelessly nodding off to sleep. It doubled in difficulty once he actually fell asleep, leaving him with the privilege of studying his face without the burden of getting caught. He hurried to his destination, certain of the speeding tickets that would surely arrive in his mailbox tomorrow, and almost cheered when he finally pulled into Neji's driveway. He turned the keys and flicked off his lights. Sasuke shifted his regards to his side, the sound of his clothing rustling against the leather hardly competing with the soft snores. Technically, this was the first time he'd gotten a close view at Naruto. His previous attempts were either interrupted and hindered with either a muted quarrel or external distractions. Physically, not much about him changed. There wasn't any major differences to his height nor weight, but he did seem more frail; not in a sickly way, but he just seemed more dainty. He's lost the baby-fat that filled his cheeks and his limbs appeared to be more gracious and cautious. His eyes were less bright and youthful, but calculating wit and wisdom took over perfectly. Instead of being the brash and childish character, he's transformed into a formidable young adult. It still bewilders him at the utter calmness he exhibited during their first encounter. He expected more screams and tantrums, never chances. Well, the slap was predictable. Sasuke tucked away a gold tuft and indulged himself in the freedom of barely ghosting his palm over the sun-kissed cheek, "I'll fix my mistakes, Naruto. I swear."

He ran his fingers through his scalp and turned around to shortly observe his other passenger, drunk with sleep. It was maybe around a minute, or two, before he snuck out of the car and gathered Menma into his arms and trekked towards the glass doors. Luckily for him, he didn't have to bother with the effort of keeping the conked out boy upright while he reached for the doorbell. Neji practically pulled off the knob as he yanked the door open, a furrow creasing his brows. "Where's Naruto?"

Sasuke's eye twitched from the pressure of restraining an agitated puff and gestured behind him, "He's still at the car, fast asleep."

There was nothing else he could declare that wouldn't spark any violent feuds, so Neji reached out to retrieve Menma. As if on instinct, Sasuke tightened his hold on the tike and shuffled farther from the expecting hands. Neji opened his mouth to question him, but was fleetly interrupted. "I can take him upstairs."

"No," Neji advanced, "I can manage by myself."

Menma's little voice disrupted the brewing argument, "Otosan, is it okay if you can tuck me in bed? Please?"

Sasuke's sneer measurably softened, disregarding the bewilderment contorting Neji's scowl, "Okay."

The tike leaned his head back on Sasuke's chest, breaths already growing steady. Sasuke raised his head, greeting the puzzled expression with a mildly smug smirk. Neji blinked a couple times before wilting and complying with Menma's slurred command. He moved to the side to make room, "Second floor, it's first door you see."

Sasuke inclined his head, thanking him, and entered, choosing to brush off the faint gloom of distrust. He climbed up the stairs and just as was described, was met with a pale cobalt door upon reaching the top. He pushed through, wary of any that cloaked itself in the shadows and brushed his hand across the wall, flicking the switch that scraped his fingers. With light now exposing all of the colors in the room, Sasuke was genuinely, but gratefully, impressed at how ordered everything was. Giving that the room was over flowing in orange and yellow, he supposed that he would've inherited the clutter associated with the two utmost annoying colors in the whole spectrum of colors. The bed was made neatly, there were no toys littering the ground and books were stacked on the shelves methodically by author. If it weren't for the 'Yu-Gi-Oh' posters taped on the walls, it would've been impossible to distinguish an immature adult's room to this one.

Sasuke walked towards the bed and tenderly placed Menma on the sheets. As his fingers worked on untangling Menma's shoelaces, his eyes wandered around the room until it landed on a blanket folded neatly by the foot of the bed. He unfurled the blanket after discarding the shoes by the nightstand and substituted the jacket with the fleece. Sasuke stood back, tucked Naruto's coat behind his arm and watched his son snuggle into the pillows.

He chuckled, still at awe by the little human in front of him, "Huh, my son..."

The guilt creeping up his skin tugged the smile on his lips and Sasuke felt sick. Yes, Menma's his son, but he's nowhere near a father. He breathed out into his palm and turned around; but, before he could switch off the lights, a hesitant little peep attracted his attention.

"Otosan?"

Sasuke shifted on his feet, "Hm?"

Menma sat up and focused on Sasuke's eyes, "Can you make a promise?"

"Depends."

"Well, can you promise to stay at our side from now on?"

Air was forced out of his lungs, squeezed painfully. "Of course."

"Say you promise," Menma insisted.

Sasuke approached the bed, plopped down and raised his right hand, "I promise."

Menma sniffled and rubbed his eyes, hoping he could hide the bubbling tears. He pulled the blanket up to his chin and laid back down, beaming like no tomorrow, "Goodnight."

Sasuke nuzzled the small patch of black, barely peeking out, with his hand, "Sweet dreams, Menma."

He pushed himself up from the bed and succeeded in turning off the lights, stalling only long enough for Menma to catch his regards one last time.

"Oh and Otosan, thank you. You made me really happy today."

Sasuke nodded and halted his retreat to respond with a meager grin. There was nothing he could do to force any words out of his mouth, to correctly counter the absolute appreciation he was given. He closed the door, after taking one final peek, and leaned his forehead against the wall for a brief second.

"He's already pretty fond of you."

It took a quick bite to the tongue for Sasuke not to jump at the sudden quip. Neji drew nearer, suspicion taking form in replacement on his daggered stares.

"Naruto must've said something."

"More like he didn't say something. If that kid knew why you left, he'd rather be dragged kicking and screaming before going anywhere with you."

Sasuke stomped forward and stabbed a finger at Neji's chest, "You know, you're really bold, sticking your nose somewhere it doesn't belong."

"That's ironic, Uchiha, cause that sentence perfectly fits you as well."

All it took was a particularly nasty rebut and the two men would happily trade punches, but they both knew better. Neji didn't want Menma waking up to vicious bickering and Sasuke had his mind switch pressing matters.

Sasuke backed off and jeered, "I don't have time for this. I'll just grab Naruto and leave."

"Don't bother, I've already gotten him."

Again, Sasuke bit his tongue, but this time it was to obstruct the imaginative portion of his brain from coming into play. He shuffled past Neji and reached for the stairs, willing nothing more than to leave. He left just like that; no second thoughts, no extended goodbyes. Just hauled up into his car and drove out into the road with his reflection being the only notion that kept him fair-minded.

Naruto watched him from his room, peering from the window and curious if he would turn around just to bid him a goodnight. From the depths of his subconsciousness, he wanted Sasuke to do just that and that scared him. It scared him at how quick he could let Sasuke back into his life, back into his heart.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm so sorry that I forgot about this story, I have had so much on my mind. Anyway, here's the new chapter. PLEASE VOTE ON WHAT YOU THINK I SHOULD DO FOR THE PAIRING. 🙏

Neji's POV

The TV was on, emitting a warble of sounds. A string of people advertising their useless, little products decorated the screen. Their bright colors and exaggerated expressions charmed my eyes, but my thoughts had deviated and lingered elsewhere. I pulled my attention from a particularly merry lady and turned towards my nightstand, where the only other source of light was a glaring red hue. 3:05; in about two hours I would have no choice but to peel the covers off and go to work. And yet, despite the growing threat of enduring the pain of being a sleep-deprived zombie the entire day, my entire body and mind refused to rest.

My hand groped and roamed over the silver sheets pooling around me and ceased when I felt a distinct bulge. I fished for the remote and turned the TV off. The utter silence and smothering darkness didn't hesitate to cloak me and I welcomed it. I raised my hand and reached towards the ceiling, grappling at the brisk air. My eyes struggled to adjust against the sudden loss of light, but I managed to make out the outline of my hand clamping into a fist and relaxing. With a loud smack, I allowed my hand to unceremoniously drop on my forehead, surely leaving behind a gigantic, stinging imprint pulsing on the spot.

I hissed softly, "Gah, you goddamn idiot!"

While Sasuke was tucking Menma into his bed, I took the liberty of going down to the bastard's car and fetching Naruto myself. When I reached him, he was a mess; not physically, no. He didn't show any of his tears to me; in fact he didn't show anything at all. He just smiled and greeted me, but the glint didn't reflect in his eyes. I followed him to his room, waiting and hoping he would talk to me, but he remained silent. It felt frustrating seeing Naruto distant himself and maddening knowing I couldn't approach him in the same way as that infuriating Uchiha and expect the same reaction. I was only able to watch Naruto stare at Sasuke as he left, a longing expression knotting his face.

My whole body began to feel hot and bothered as irritation and guilt started to boil the pits of my stomach. I threw off the blankets gluing my body to the mattress and flicked on the lights.

"I should fought harder. I should've protected him better," I berated myself.

I ran my hand through my hair, flinching at the countless tangles, and recoiling when my fingers came into contact with a band of sweat that lined my forehead. With a huff, I opened the drawer beside the bed and picked out a small rubber band. The icy air finally started to caress the back of my clammy neck as I pulled the strands into a loose ponytail. However, that feeling of restlessness still resided within me. I knew I could never fall asleep this edgy and unsettled, so I stood up and left the room.

The air was much crispier and lighter outside, refreshing almost. There was no need to cover my bare chest with a shirt or a robe, no one would be awake for at least three more hours, so every inch of my upper body braved the nipping cool. Regardless of the hostile and essentially disheartening shadows present in the hallway, it was an emotional and physical release on my frazzled nerves. Unlike my room, which collected my heavy thoughts in such a confined space, the corridor was an open feeling of emptiness; nothing but endless shades of black and unrecognizable dark blobs to invigorate my senses.

My bare feet shuffled across the floors cautiously, using the wall as a guide to find and descend down the stars. After roughly and cluelessly wandering in the darkness, paired with confused rambling and curses, I finally reached my destination. It was a rousing alarm to my senses when I wrapped my hands around the frozen handle. I pushed the door open and palmed the walls for a switch. When my pinkie painfully snagged across a small bulk and flicked it, the entire room lit up.

The lights illuminated every corner off the study room, showing off its every crevices with glory. I breathed in, appreciating the unique perfume the books had managed to fill the entire room in. Of all the rooms in the entire mansion, this is the only one place where I can truly unravel and relax. Well, what can I say, it's my pride and joy. All of the shelves lining the walls are packed with hundreds of books. The majority of them are novels I've learned to collect while traveling around the world. The others are either photo albums or gifts I've received over the years.

Physically speaking, the room isn't exactly ginormous, but it definitely isn't cramped. It has a small fireplace parallel to the entrance and that was the extent of its decorations. In fact, there's not even a single window in the room. That's because the bookshelves took ALL of the space. They reach all the way to the ceiling and thus completely coating the walls. In order to compensate for the lack of sunlight, about a dozen little lights littered the top of the room. Obviously, that wasn't my idea. Why would it be? Just thinking about it sounded ridiculous. But, Naruto nagged at me until I succumbed. Apparently, mimicking the night sky with using LED lights and black paint would be 'pretty'. Well, he wasn't wrong. It eventually turned out to be the defining detail of my study. When Menma came along, that's when I decided to add the bean bag chairs encircling the fireplace.

I chuckled to myself, what a difference they've made on my life.

My knuckles trailed across shelves, my fingers jumping over every book, until I arrived at a particular rack. Counting to the sixth spine, I took out an emerald album and flipped the hard cover open. On the first page, protected with a clear film, is a picture of Naruto and I as a child. He was giving his signature bright, toothy grin and he had his arm hooked around my neck. Even I was smiling, but not towards the camera. I leaned my head towards the other books and allowed myself to reminisce. With nostalgia filling my head, I ghosted over the image and dreamed of the easier days.

Flashback

The sun stung my skin. The humidity made my hair gummy and tangled. Bugs kept crawling up my legs and sticking to my sweat. The grass caused my skin to itch, even causing tiny, red lumps to rise. If anyone couldn't have guessed, I hate being outside.

I forced my feet further into the mulch, absolutely bored out of my mind. My incompetent, socially revolved teacher was so busy flirting with another random man that she has yet to notice that class started fifteen minutes ago. Of course, my classmates seized the opportunity for an extended freetime, so nobody stepped up to remind her. I could've done it myself, but last time I was just merely brushed off and even scolded; same goes for the other students who tried. I have no idea how she's managed to keep her job for this long, but I'm betting the fact that it's because she's got a pair of double-Ds. 1

Right now, everyone was either playing sports or indulged in a conversation with their friends about trivial matters; such as toys and their attraction to the opposite gender. As for myself, I was quite satisfied with swaying on the swing alone. Unlike the others, I felt no motivation to make any friends nor participate in their games. I would rather just stick in the faded background and sway back and forth on the swing, shadowed by a looming cherry-blossom tree.

I just didn't like people; I couldn't understand them. They try so hard to fit in with others, sometimes even amassing self-destructive qualities. People go as far as contorting every aspect of their personality in order to become something, or someone, they're not meant to be. As far as I know, people are born they way they are. They can't change their 'destiny' no matter how hard they try or how many backflips they can do...and I'm no exception.

Seeking a distraction from the bitterness, I averted my leer from the poor, abused ground to a forming cluster of people. They were laughing pretty loud about something, but because of the distance between us, I couldn't make out whatever they were saying. I wanted to ignore it, dismissing it as another stupid stunt, but somehow something persuaded me to rise from my seat and approach the growing crowd.

The moment I reached the group, I was immediately disgusted. There wasn't a single doubt that the seemingly innocent circle was actually a gathering intent on ridiculing another kid. It was almost appalling to see Junior High students take on the toxic character adults would show. I crept closer, probably due to morbid curiosity and peeked inside. Directly in the hollow center of the horde was a bent over boy. If I were to guess his year by his size, I would say he would be in his third. But, the little snot-machines have the privilege of a private playground, so I reckon my hunch's wrong. The only distinguishing feature I was sure of was his somewhat annoyingly blond hair.

A boy stepped forward and kicked dirt towards the kid, "Honestly? You're pretty bold talking about becoming a doctor. Don't you know you actually have to be smart to become one?"

There was a chorus of agreements; vile little beings. Sure, I'd send my condolences if I could, but there'd be no hope. People like him are meant to be stepped on and pushed around their entire life. Their existence revolves around their incompetence and no matter how much pity I can give him, their despair would remain as a constant reminder. Loosing interest, I turned away, moving towards the comfort of my swing. However, before I could completely removing myself from the crowd, the crouched boy raised his head. He wasn't crying. He wasn't angry. There was not a single trace of fear etched on his face. In fact, it looked like the teasing and insults had the opposite impact on him. He smiled, a fierce flame of determination burning in his wide eyes, and pulled himself upright, back straight and proud.

The boy pointed to himself and shouted, "I might not be the brightest nor the best, but I know how to work the hardest. That's why I'm going to work my butt off to become the best doctor in this country!" His chaotic, flaxen spikes bobbed along with each word and somehow even further intensified the grin on his face. He looked...pretty.

I recoiled. Not only was that added comment ridiculous, it was almost stupidly laughable. My face heated, I yearned to turn away, but I was foolishly captured and my legs stiffened to immobility. I had no responsibility to involve myself with the situation nor have any reason to keep watching and yet a sort of fascination with the blue-eyed boy willed me to stay.

The same crude runt stabbed his finger into the boy's chest, forcing him to step back, "Shut up! Maybe we should repeat our lesson yesterday."

"Yeah," someone piped up, "he's so dumb he's probably already forgotten."

I had no idea what they were referring to, but it must've been a dreadful experience for the boy. For once, he visibly flinched, but otherwise remained firm.

The rugged brats all bent down and picked up a nearby pebble. The leader, whom I guessing was the one mostly speaking, signaled with the throw of his arm and hollered, "Let's remind him that idiots are meant to be quiet!"

He threw the first pebble towards the blond who blocked the impending object with the incline of his arm. The other kids cheered and hurled forward; however, before the second gravel could even scratch his face, I sprinted in front of him and maneuvered myself as the target of the approaching stones.

The rocks bombarded my body and I felt every jabbing throb as it pelted my chest and skull. A particularly sharp one managed to chafe me below the eye, definitely leaving a sprouting bruise in its place. Without meaning to, I glared at everyone with pure animosity. It took them only seconds to stop, instantly quivering and shrinking underneath my gaze.

The leader scooted back into the crowd, apologizing,"Ah, I'm sorry! We didn't mean to hit you!"

They must've figured it was just a coincidence I ran in as they pitched their rubble, but I didn't care. I hardened my scowl, "Leave."

Everyone scattered into the playground and hid behind the oversized plastic shapes, some peeked from the safety of the shadows, but none had the audacity to return. I breathed in, regaining my composure, and shifted towards the dazed boy, asking, "Are you alright?"

He blinked a few times, focusing his attention on me. He titled his head and I was met with an expression so perplexed and taken aback that even I felt a little puzzled, "Why'd you help me?"

I didn't know what to say. Truthfully, I'm just about as clueless as he is. I have no idea why I protected him. I just shrugged, uncomfortable of the large eyes examining me so intently, and turned away. But, a small hand gripped my wrist and pulled me back.

"That's not an answer," he repeated.

I sighed and gently shook off his grasp. Might as well introduce myself, I guess, "My name is Neji Hyuuga. 5th grade. What's your name?"

The boy stuck out his bottom lip, unsatisfied, but otherwise answered, "I'm Naruto Namikaze. I'm in 4th grade."

I reached out my hand and tried to give an assuring smile, "Well, Namikaze-kun, if you would let me, I would like to be your friend."

Naruto's dismal pout instantly morphed into a bright smile, reaching from ear to ear, and completely forgetting about his question. He shook my hand and bounced on his heel, "Yeah! You'll be my very first friend!"

"Oh," he added, "can you just call me Naruto? I don't really bode well with my last name. Too formal."

It was a little suspicious, but understandable, "Okay, Naruto."

I heard a screech beckoning my classmates to come. I guess my teacher had finally cared enough to look down at her watch. I nodded good-bye to Naruto and trotted towards her. In exchange, he beamed my way and waved, skipping to his teacher as well. While my teacher poorly attempted to gather her students, the sudden urge to smack myself in the face flared in my stomach. What was I thinking? Not only did I entangled myself in an utterly mad horde, I somehow made friends with their victim.

Instead of face palming and drawing eyes, I took a deep breath and sighed. It's sorta disorienting having to call someone my friend; but, knowing that I would have the pleasure of seeing Naruto's bearably naive smile felt comforting to say the least. As the teacher pushed us to arrange ourselves alphabetically, I tolerated a small grin to notably pull at my lips. Maybe having a friend won't be so bad.

End of Flashback

I closed the olive booklet and slipped it back into the empty space. My fingers lingered a little longer on the spine, allowing the last remnants of sweet, innocent memories to drain from my consciousness.

"Things were a lot simpler back then, don't you agree, Naruto?" An empty inquiry lost in the chilling silence of the house.

I whistled a huff and turned my attention back to the books, counting to the 12th ridge in the shelf. I pulled out another scrapbook, this time crimson, and tossed the front open to the first page. It was another picture, but this time it was taken when Naruto and I were in our second year at junior high. The year had been kind and my relationship with Naruto developed to its fullest height; but then again, that was only because I got to know the story behind his mask.

Flashback

Swim was exhausting. Due to the looming stress of upcoming competitions, our coach has been pushing everyone in the team to their limits. Unfortunately for me, I was going to be the one representing the school in the junior high championship. I twirled my hair into a bun, cursing at the stubborn wet mop and the aching pull on my scalp, and fetched my jersey from my locker.

"I'll probably buy something to eat before calling Naruto," I muttered, slipping my arms into sleeves and shivering at the cold seemingly knitted into the fabric. It's been four years since I've met Naruto. Ever since that day, I've remained by his side. Refusing him was near impossible and leaving him is not an option. I owe him that much at least. Everyone calls us close friends since we do virtually everything together; if it wasn't for him practically pushing me into swim, I would be in his English culture club. What they don't know is that I don't have a single inkling about Naruto's personal life. Hell, I haven't even been to his house at least once.

I threw my duffel bag over my shoulder and elbowed my locker shut. I left the gym and began my stroll to the usual convenience store, mind burdened and feet itchy. People would always dismiss him as an open book, but he'd probably be one of the most secretive person they would ever have the chance of meeting. Really, the only thing Naruto's ever told me about his past was that his parents died when he was young.

It bothers me not knowing much about Naruto. I want to poke and prod until I've discovered every miracle or misfortune that's occurred in his life; but, I could never do that to him. I wouldn't dare to make him uneasy. If he wants to open up to me about his past, it would be because he wanted to, not because of my nagging. Naruto rescued me, the most I can give him is my patience and sympathy. I cuffed myself in the temple,"My thoughts sound so cliché, I could be in a drama."

The store was soon in sight, all I had left to do was cross a street dividing our town cemetery and the store. Why they opened a mart in such a remote and creepy place, I have no idea. No matter, it was always nice to hear about the news whenever I would pass by. My legs slowed down for a second and I titled towards the flowing words from the radio.

"Today is the 9th annual tribute of the horrific Uzumaki Massacre. The three lost lives will never be forgotten by the people of Konoha. It's so sad..."

I eventually tuned it out when my eyes passively shifted towards the bed of tombstones and caught glimpse of something bright in the depressing gray. It was only a flash, but I could swear I saw Naruto.

I jogged over to the cramped churchyard instead, and entered through the decaying gates. I cruised over wilting bouquets and crumbling stones to the end of the somber area where I noticed Naruto. After walking through a maze of graves, I finally spotted a thatch of gold.

Naruto was sitting on the ground, holding a cluster of sunflowers and staring at the miserable grave. Weeds had grown in between the cracked cement and the stone monument looked crudely polished. There were no incense nor the remains of previous visits. Everything seemed so unkept and filthy, I wouldn't be surprised if Naruto was its first visitor. I entered the square shrine, nodding to the dead, and perched my hand on his shoulder. He jumped at my touch and quickly turned around, but, upon noticing it was me, relaxed, "What're you doing here, Neji?" He settled his hand on mine, but his gaze had flicked back to the head-slab.

"I'd like to ask the same to you."

Finally, he broke his attention from the stones and greeted me with a pitiful smile, "Sit by me, please?"

The sheer lack of emotion in his voice almost scared me. It almost didn't sound like him. I responded, nodding, and lowered myself to the concrete. The duffel bag slipped off my shoulder, so I placed it behind me. I crossed my legs, flittering my eyes over Naruto's face to the bundle of sunflowers in his hands, until a mellow silence took over. The first thing I wanted to ask about was the flowers. Was he visiting a relative? No, the engraved kanji on the tombstone was unfamiliar, definitely not Namikaze. Maybe a friend? I guess that would explain the offhand attitude.

It took some time, but Naruto eventually spoke, "You're wondering about the flowers aren't you?"

I snapped my attention away from the bunch, "Hm?"

He laughed, "You've done nothing but stare at them."

I rubbed the back of my head, my cheeks feeling flush, "Sorry, I was just a little curious."

Finally, he looked at me, his face sincere, "Do you wanna know?"

"Will you let me?"

He laughed again, but this time heavier, "Well, I don't know how right I might be, but I remembered how obsessed my mom was with sunflowers. She always kept going on and on about how it always made her happy. I think it was something about how they smiled, but I'm not really sure. My dad called her ridiculous, yet he regularly brought her sunflowers every Saturday. Never allowed himself to miss a day."

Naruto bent down, leaning to capture one of the flowers by the stem, "I figured today, on their anniversary, I'd bring her some."

Nothing could prepare me for that surprise. I spun towards the stone monument, giving the engravings a little bit more thought.

"Uzumaki?"

"Yup," he nodded, "the same surname they've been blasting around the news this entire day."

I blinked one time. Twice. Thrice.

Naruto... The lost child?

No, wait, that's absurd. It can't be. No matter how strong a person claims they are, they can't simply brush off a past that traumatic. How can he even smile? How can he even walk and talk like a normal person?

I must've had the most confused expression on my face, cause the next thing Naruto did after turning to me was burst into chuckles.

"Neji? You all right?"

"I...uh..." I stammered. I don't know what to say. Well, what CAN I say? Should I comfort him? Say sorry? But, then again, it doesn't look like he needs much cheering. Naruto was on the brink of falling backwards from delight.

"I'm so sorry, but you look like you're on the brink of answering a major philosophical question."

He wiped a tear from his eye, "Calm down, don't think to hard. All I need from you is just a bit of your time right now."

Despite his light teases, the hilarity sounded a little forced. As if the words in throat struggled to come out of his mouth. I planted my hand on his shoulder, giving him a serious but tender smile, "Naruto, it's okay. You don't have to keep smiling anymore. You can trust me."

"I'm f-"

Before he was able to reassure me, I pulled him into my arms, almost crushing him against my chest, "You can't fool me, you know."

He froze, but returned the hug. His arms tightened around my neck while I encouraged him to rest. I wasn't sure how long we stayed that way, but I did know that the dew on my chest wasn't from my hair. Naruto was the one to back away, he rubbed his arms against his eyes, most likely wiping away his tears, and then, he smiled again. He giggled freely and hooked his fingers around mine. His hold was intimate, but only the kind you would find between good friends. It stirred a moment of discontent, leaving me wishing for something I couldn't quite figure out.

"I'm sorry," Naruto voiced, catching me off guard.

"Sorry for what?"

"For being such a bad friend."

I bit my tongue, eager to challenge, "No you're not."

He pursed his lips and grinned sheepishly, "But, I've never really allowed you to get to know me. You've told me everything about you, even when it was something as personal as family. You trusted me and I couldn't do the same."

"Naruto, you're not bad friend. Actually, I'm indebted to you."

Naruto stared at me, a little a relived but not entirely sold. So, I took a deep breath and continued, "You...when I first met you, you confused me. Eluded me. I was depressed and defeated with everything life's given me. A broken family, an inescapable destiny, I thought I was done. But you, you brushed everything off so casually. No matter how much everybody proved you wrong, you always bounced back up. I was frustrated at first, thinking you were just too stupid to realize how your life was supposed to run, but you never gave up, until I was eventually caught up in your current. You're important to me in more ways that you think, Naruto. Actually I think I've-"

I stopped abruptly. Wait, what was I going to say? 'I've fallen in love with you?' Did I really just think of saying that? Naruto titled his head, confused by my awkward pause. I ransacked every part of my brain of a proper ending, but Naruto beat me to it.

He snorted, then started chuckling, "You know, this is why girls swoon whenever you look at them. You're such a helpless romantic, I swear."

My pride felt like it shattered as my cheeks to my ears grew hot with embarrassment. I expected Naruto to laugh hysterically and tease me for a few minutes, but his chortles died down much sooner, "But, I'm glad."

"And," he continued, "I want to show you something."

Without another word, he began unbuttoning his shirt. Baffled and alarmed, I grabbed his hands and scolded him, "What are you doing!"

"Neji, how much do you think I trust you?" His tone was playful, but his eyers were somber and humorless.

"I don't know?"

He smiled and gently shook off my hands, "Why don't I show you then?"

I was extremely reluctant, but he almost sounded pleading. Like, he was on the brink of collapsing underneath a colossal weight on his shoulders. I settled down and granted him my finest heed.

Naruto took a deep breath and proceeded on detaching the next few buttons. While he busied himself with the task, I took the guilty liberty of spoiling myself by staring. His hair, blond and pointed, had this ethereal glow from the light. As if even the sun was acknowledging the blinding gift each fine strand held. With his eyes casted down, his lashes had fanned out. Gold and curly, it did its job well for intensifying the emotions that would swirl in his clear blue eyes. I trailed down his plump cheeks, to his defined collarbone and to the portions of skin exposed by each slip of a clasp. I only looked away when I noticed Naruto grip the cloth around his stomach close. At first, I was ashamed, thinking that he'd caught me ogling, but then he spoke, "Do you promise that we'll stay friends? Even after this?" 1

I almost scoffed. It was such an absurdly obvious question; but, seeing Naruto so tense and so guarded, I vowed to him, responding, "Naruto, there's nothing in the world that could ever make me take back our friendship."

He took a deeper breath and slowly revealed his abdomen. My mouth ran dry when I was given the freedom to roam every part of Naruto's naked torso, but when my eyes hit his midsection, my slightly wanton gaze turned into full-out turmoil. Despite Naruto's nervous shifting, I just couldn't tear my eyes away. Encircling his belly button was a large, blotchy tattoo of a sun. There were symbols whirling around the circle; but they were written so sloppily, it was almost impossible to distinguish one stroke from another. I moved my head, to stare at the design from another angle, and that's when I noticed a faint bulge underneath the ink, causing a shadow in his skin. In spite of the mediocre condition of the tattoo, it trailed the jutted skin almost precisely. I knitted my eyebrows together and reached towards the permanent symbol, but Naruto instantly backed away, as if fearing my touch would burn him on contact, so I retreated, muttering an apology, and continued gaping, "Is it a-"

"Scar," Naruto finished, "yes, it's a scar."

"How...did you get it?" I talked carefully. I was treading on unstable waters and unsure of what I words I should choose.

"I-," Naruto strained to continue. It showed clearly on his face.

"Naruto, please, you don't have to force yourself."

"But I need to do this," he insisted, "I need someone to understand. I need you."

"And that's why I'll always be here."

Naruto's clutch on my hand tightened and he close his eyes. His chest rose and fell from each deep breath he took.

One.

Two.

Three.

Naruto's eyes opened again and he opened his mouth to speak, "I-I don't remember my parents' faces anymore. I just can't bring myself to imagine what they look like. Maybe it's because I don't want to see the kind of face they would make when they realize their son is a monster."

That was the end of Naruto's words. He broke down onto my shoulder and passed out. The idiot was hiding a cold. I called the family butler and requested for him to come fetch us at the cemetery. As I waited for our ride, I watched Naruto sleep, his head cradled on my lap. I brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

I have no idea what kind of emotion roused my heart while I stared, but I did know that no matter what, Naruto's happiness will always come first; that's a promise.

End of Flashback

Naruto didn't say anything after waking up. It wasn't until a year later where he eventually told me about a 'hidden' gift. While accompanying him to Tsunade-sama's-his personal doctor-the 'specially sadistic' physician decided to describe in full out detail about his 'biology' and the process one might take if repeating the procedure. Up to this day, recalling even parts of the gruesome clarification can easily cause bile to rise up from my stomach.

I shut the album and returned it to the narrow space and its proper place. The fatigue was finally catching up to me, so I tumbled my body onto the bead-stuffed bag on the floor. Sure, my thoughts were still going at an exhausting speed, but my body had buckled and succumbed to its crave. I rubbed my knuckles against the back of my neck, trying to pound the tense muscles into relaxing, "Ugh, what should I do? What can I do?"

The sour touch of envy pinched my face into a harsh sneer, "Why him? Why did he have to fall for him? Wasn't I enough?"

It was a hateful, selfish thing to say, but it was too difficult not to feel hostile towards the egotistical maniac. Especially after what Naruto's been through while chasing at his tail, trying to please him.

"What are you thinking about?!" I tugged at my ponytail, "This isn't about me!"

My head was plunged so deep in an ocean of conflict and contradictions, I barely heard the small voice call out to me from the doorway, "Neji? What's got you up so early?"

I jerked my body around and met Naruto's weary eyes. If it weren't for the continuous thumping in my temples, I would've commented on his shirt. It was a shade of orange so bright, I could almost imagine myself hearing the color. The '#1 DAD' written on his shirt was yellow, so that didn't help soften it on the eyes. "I couldn't sleep. Sorry, did I wake you?"

His locks swayed as Naruto shook his head and plopped down on the bean-bag in front of me, "Nah, I was just going to get a glass of water."

Nothing but the dim twinkle of the small, glinting bulbs lit up the room, and yet I was still able to see the deep shadows underneath his eyes. I reached over and cupped his cheek, "You didn't sleep that well, did you?"

Naruto shifted his gaze, but leaned into my hand, "I'm fine. You don't need to worry-"

"Don't finish that sentence cause we both know I'm always gonna be worried when it comes to you."

"You really are a hopeless romantic, aren't you?" He stifled a laugh as he talked.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

Naruto stood up and offered a hand, "Come on, you have work in about an hour, you can still slip in a little shut-eye."

I grabbed the extended hand and marveled at the warmth that hugged my numbed fingers, a sudden itch made it's way into my chest, "Yeah, maybe."

Our fingers detached as we made our way to the door and I began to feel cold again. With each second passing by as Naruto slowly pulled at the door to exit, the itch in my heart developed bit by bit into an unshakable demand. Maybe it was because of my little trips down memory lane and rekindling a suppressed emotion or maybe it was because of my pride, but before I knew it, I was pressing Naruto against the door. My arm loomed over his head and my forehead rested on his shoulder.

Naruto tried to turn his face towards me, but all he could see was probably the top of my head. "Neji, what are yo-"

"Naruto, what would you say if I said I loved you?"

"Wha-?"

"What would you do?"

"Wait-"

"Would you leave?"

"You're not making any sense. Why would I leave? Trust me, I'm fully aware of how much you love me." I could almost hear Naruto's frown.

I grunted at the back of my throat, "No."

"No?"

"No," I repeated, "I don't just love you like a brother or a friend. Naruto, I want you. I want more than just your friendship. I love you."

It was quiet. I felt Naruto open and close his mouth; trying to find a response to what he just heard. His thoughts were going a thousand miles per hour, I could hear it in his heartbeat. Then suddenly, it went silent.

I sighed and pushed myself off Naruto. I took his arm, gently pulling him from the doorway, and squeezed my body out into the hall. I shouldn't have done it. I didn't have to right to force my feelings on him. It was selfish and stupid.

My throat closed and my heart constricted. There was nowhere else I could go, but back under the covers. Well, at least sleep sounds pretty tempting now. However, just before I could take another step forward, heat engulf my wrist, weakly rotating me around. Naruto was looking straight at me, his eyes searching. He pursed his lips and intertwined our fingers. "Neji, I don't deserve you. I'm not enough."

"Naruto," I plead, "if I had the chance, I wouldn't hesitate spending every second of my life with you."

"You know, you're still as corny as you were back in Junior High."

"You still remember that?"

I couldn't stop myself from smiling at Naruto's laugh, "Of course."

He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around my neck, "Thank you, Neji."

"And," he continued, "I couldn't think of anyone else to place my whole trust in."

I clung to Naruto's waist and buried my nose into his hair, barely stifling a relieved chuckle, "God, I've never been this happy."

He pulled away and pinched my bare side, "Next you decide to brood, wear a shirt. It's freezing."

I saluted a 'Yessir' and allowed Naruto to drag me towards the kitchen. The sun was already beginning to rise, so our only option now to counter brain-lag was coffee. Naruto started rambling on and on about whatever topic would come up to his mind first and I was foolishly hung up on each word. In about fifteen minutes, Menma would run down the stair, bright-eyed and well rested, and join in the conversation. We would sit around the table, until time would eventually separate us into each of our responsibilities. It felt peaceful, it felt domestic. Not even the endless stack of paper that greeted me at work took away the cheer in my veins. I guess it's just the promise of sweet smiles and loving moods waiting back at home kept my moral up. No, I didn't see flowers and rainbows, as some would suspect and love-sick man would see, but there was a bubbly feeling I can't quiet point out. Maybe, it's my pride seeping out knowing that even when certain challenges come to make trouble, I have the right to defend what's mine.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, I don't want to confuse anyone so I'm saying this now. This chapter takes place in the past, before Naruto and Sasuke met up again.

ALSO IF YOU LIKE PERCY JACKSON CHECKOUT MY OTHER STORY WHERE I AM FINISHING A VERY POPULAR STORY CALLED EVERLASTING PROMISES

Remember to vote down in the comments

Children, all wrapped up in their colorful coats and scarves, dotted the school lawn and huddled around the entrance. Some waddled all over the place, attempting to play a game of tag in their puffy clothes. They, along with the scolding adults, brought a pulse of life to the place. The cars, slowly crawling up at the pick-up-lane, took turns in rolling down their windows and beckoning to their kids. Those who preferred stepping out of their vehicles instead, would respectfully address the teachers and sweep up their impatient children who, in turn, greeted them with a kiss to the cheek and a tight hug around the neck.

Menma watched intently from beneath an oak tree as a particular couple called out to their child. He saw the kid's ears perk immediately at their voices and run to the outstretched arms. After a series of earnest greetings, the couple each took one of the child's hands and began walking to their car. In a couple weeks, the excitement of a new school year would eventually ebb away and scenes like that would become a rarity. He can only hope it would be a lot sooner.

Menma was no fool. He knew he was no fool. From a young age, people always pointed out how differently he would think and speak. They called him brilliant, a genius. Sure, he took pride in some things, like solving math problems quicker than others or understanding topics even kids older than him couldn't; but he couldn't stomach the thought of calling himself a 'genius'. If he was a genius, he would've been able to figure out why he only has one parent. He would've been able to figure out why his Chichi refused to talk about his other father or at least show him any pictures of what he looked like. On those terms, how was he even conceived? He must've been adopted, that would've been the explanation with most sense, but he's heard Neji and Naruto whisper to each other about how he really looks a lot like him. Was he his other father's biological son? Then who was his mother? Does he even have a mother?

He doesn't really like addressing this, but maybe it was his fault his other father left. It was ridiculous jumping into such serious conclusions, so it was a thought he often pushed into the shadowed corners of his mind. But what else could he do? There wasn't much information he could go by and the his resolves would always end up back home, fueling the self-doubt.

Menma groaned and sprawled out into the grass. He watched the fluffy, white puffs in the sky and worked on cooling down his brain. He stared at the clouds, hoping that maybe they would reveal some wild answer, unaware of sympathetic eyes gazing from the distance.

The first time Iruka met Menma, he was immediately struck in the heart. There was an indescribable joy in every moment he succeeded in making the little boy giggle or smile. It didn't help that he took to the same bubbly personality and infectious laugh from Naruto; there was only the onyx hair and inhumanly, brilliant intellect rooted in one surname.

"He's starting to notice, isn't he?"

Iruka jumped, fist set to defense, when he felt an arm wrap around his waist. He twisted towards the man attached to him, hand ready to smack off the taunting smirk, "Kakashi! Geez, you scared me."

Kakashi's grin notably widened causing the cloth covering half of his face to grow taut, "Sorry, sorry. Heh, didn't mean to scare you, sweetie."

"Back off, mutt," Iruka hissed, "by the way, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Kakashi pouted and tightened his hold, "Awe, come on, I decided to come here on my break to visit you, can't you give your hubby some tender, love and care?"

Kakashi raised his hands in defeat, but continued moping and pandering for attention. The brunette ignored his doting lover's complaints and turned to the lonesome child sitting detached and recluse.

"Itachi told me that Sasuke might be visiting soon," Kakashi propped his head on Iruka's shoulder.

"Really!? How about-"

"Calm down, Princess. Maybe, it's just time."

"I don't know, Kakashi. Is Menma and Naruto really ready for this?"

"Naruto can't hide Menma from Sasuke forever. Eventually, that nosy Uchiha will find out."

"I guess you've got a point," Iruka settled, "I'm still worried, though."

"I am too."

They silenced and focused on Menma as he sat up and began studying the shrinking crowd. Despite the distance between them, they could both clearly make out the coiled eyebrows burdened with troubles. It jabbed at their hearts seeing so much confusion and unrest on such a young face. Unable to withstand it any longer, Iruka gently shook off Kakashi's chin and took one step forward, headed to Menma, but stopped short when he heard fast approaching steps coming towards him, "Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka turned around and smiled warmly at the advancing blond, "Naruto, you know, you don't have to call me sensei anymore."

The blond stopped in his tracks, and scratched the back of his head, abashed, "Yeah, but it's sorta weird. You've been a teacher to me my whole life."

"Uh," Kakashi interrupted, "I think that's called a parent."

All three of them chuckled, indulging themselves in the light atmosphere. Iruka motioned in for a hug and Naruto jumped right in. Unfortunately for Kakashi, who tried cowardly tip-toeing away, he was unhappily forced into the sappy turmoil by both men. They laughed for a while, before Naruto untangled from the trapping arms and caught glimpse of Menma sitting alone. His fingers ran cold when he followed his eyes and noticed him staring at a couple eagerly swinging their kid around. Menma was at an angle where he couldn't see his face, but Naruto was sure of the loneliness he was feeling at the moment.

'This is my fault.'

A large hand dropped on top of his head, "You know, you really have a bad habit of blaming yourself."

Naruto raised his eyebrow, guilt etched in his eyes, "But, it is. It's my fault that Menma's never really gotten a taste of 'normal'."

Kakashi sighed and ruffled the blond's hair affectionately, "Naruto, you shouldn't judge yourself too harshly. So far, you've done everything in Menma's best interest. You've given him something not every kid grew up with; a person who's loved them from the beginning."

Iruka stepped up and started combing through Naruto's hair, patting down the messy tufts, "The idiot right next to me is right, Naruto. You've raised Menma properly. You should be proud of that."

Naruto smiled, "Thanks Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei. There's something I need to do."

He gave Iruka a quick squeeze, politely nodded to Kakashi and jogged to where his son sat.

"What do you think he'll do?" Kakashi asked, resting his arm around Iruka's shoulders.

He shrugged, crossed his arms and succumbed, leaning his head back into the chest, "I don't know, but I think I saw shadows underneath his eyes."

Menma heard the grass crunching behind him and turned around. "Chichi!" He tossed his hands into the air and jumped up to meet him.

"Yoo, Akachan!" Naruto scooped up the excited little boy and cradled him in his arms.

"I've missed you so much!"

Menma giggled and looked at Naruto in the eyes, squishing his cheeks with his small hands, "Chichi, you know, it's only the third day of school."

"I know," he sulked, "but I feel so lonely. I don't have my lunch buddy at work anymore."

Yeah, maybe some things did make Menma feel left out by others, but if there was one person that could make everything in his world right, it was Naruto. There would be nothing he would trade for in place of him. As for Naruto, the stress on his back would immeasurably lighten every time he would see his baby boy smiling in his arms. It melted his heart and made even the most difficult tasks a tad bit easier.

He gently settled Menma on the ground, "Akachan, I have to tell you something; but first, why don't we get some ice-cream?"

Menma's eyes glazed over with excitement, leaving the previous words practically unheard, "Yeah!"

Naruto threw his fist into the air, "Lets go!"

Menma mimicked the blond's actions and pumped up his tiny fist, "Ice-cream!"

The pair rushed into their car, completely unaware of two familiar onlookers in the background chuckling at their ridiculous scurrying.

Despite having an utter distaste for any varying degrees of cold weather, they share the same bizarre fondness over the frozen treats. Naruto was aware of their offbeat taste, but it couldn't be helped. If he could admit, this craving started when he was pregnant with Menma and it sorta just stuck. It became their thing after realizing that Menma had taken a liking to the peculiar appetite. What made it weirder was that both of them disliked eating ice-cream during the summer; yup, quite strange, quite strange indeed.

It took them barely fifteen minutes to reach the ice-cream shop; Naruto was sure he accidentally broke some laws on the way. With the flick of a key, the purring engine ceased and the cold began to seep through the little cracks of the car. They eagerly hopped out and greeted the baby-blue neon lights with avid grins. 1

Naruto took one of Menma's hands and pushed through the door. The small bell rung as they walked by the entry. The bombarding scent of sugary sweets and frozen treats embraced their awaiting noses. Instantaneously, both took a deep breath of the candy-coated air and shuddered at the pleasurable stinging sensation of the cold; a tingle they would usually despise.

Someone popped out from beneath and counter and greeted them, "Welcome! How may I help you today?"

Naruto almost lurched forward when he recognized the brown doe-eyes and two high raised buns, "Tenten! What's up?"

The brunette's eyes widened and instantly raced to hug him, "Naruto?! It's been so long! Who's the kid?"

Naruto tripped for a second before answering, "He's my son, Menma."

Tenten stared at him for a second before smiling at the kid hiding timidly behind Naruto's leg, "Hi Menma, how are you?"

"Good," he chirped, "how are you?"

"Great, thank you for asking! So, what can I get you?"

Menma scanned his choices from behind the glass and pointed down, "Uhh, I'll have some chocolate."

Tenten skipped behind the counter and started scooping, "Naruto?"

"Hm? Oh, cookie dough for me." 1

"Kay, here you guys go."

Naruto took both cones and gave them each to Menma, "Hey, akachan, can you sit down for a second. Tenten and I are going to chat for a second."

He inclines his head and marched to an empty table, flopping down onto one of its seats.

"Am I gonna get some answers?"

Naruto turned around and sheepishly faced the one eye-brow stare, "Well...it depends."

"When were you going to tell me you had a kid?"

He rubbed his neck, "I don't know, someday maybe."

"Maybe?" Tenten crossed her arms, "How about Sasuke? What happened there? I know moving on is healthy, but if I could guess that kid's age, I would say you moved on pretty quickly. Too quickly."

"Are you saying I'm not allowed to forget?" Naruto answered, little bit defensive.

She shook her head and talked much softer, "No, but you guys were bound to the hip. I just want to know if you did something rash and knocked up some stripper and now you're obligated to care for some kid."

"Uh no," Naruto cringed, "I don't do that." Quoting 'do' with his fingers.

"But, he is my kid," he took a deep breath, "and, Sasuke's kid."

Tenten blinked a couple times and erupted into a fit of laughter, "Wait? Are you really pulling my leg here or-" Naruto gave her a weary look. She watched him practically age years in real time and finally noticed a heavy burden weighing his shoulders. She paused, covering her mouth, "Oh my god, you're serious. Naruto, I'm sor-"

"It's fine," he interrupted, "it's a pretty hard thing to believe, I know."

"But, if you really are telling the truth, does the father know?"

Naruto turned away, breaking eye contact and shifting awkwardly on his feet.

"He doesn't know, does he?"

"No..."

"Naruto," Tenten whispered, "he has the right."

"I know! But do you really think he would believe me?" He fought. He took deeper breaths, he felt himself breaking and he knew it.

"Of course he will! He's opaque, but not close-minded."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, he just needs to wait his out, "And? What makes you think he would want us? Want Menma?"

Tenten struggled for her words. She wasn't sure if what she might be saying now could even have an effect on her friend, "I thought you told me that Sasuke dreams of nothing but kids. Kids you and him could love and care for together?" She felt guilty when Naruto flinched, his eyes still casted downwards.

"Fine, moving on then," she continued more calmly, "does the kid even know about his father?"

"That's why I brought him here."

They silenced and shifted their attention to Menma idly licking his ice-cream, short legs kicking from under the table.

"I know I've been selfish," Naruto breathed out, "I waited too long to tell either of them."

Tenten exhaled and dropped her hand on his shoulder, "Take him to the park. Just spend some time with him."

"Thanks, Tenten," he fumbled around in his pocket and plucked out his wallet, "how much did you say the ice-cream were?"

She waved him off, "It's on the house."

"Tenten, I can't-"

"I said it's on the house," she repeated, "just go. You're wasting time here."

Naruto smiled and called out to Menma. The small kid bounced off the chair and scampered forward, careful of the cones in his hands. He handed one to Naruto and continued biting enthusiastically.

"Thanks again, Tenten. See you next time! Say bye, Menma."

Menma waggled his free hand, "Bye!"

Tenten waved back and beamed, "Bye Menma! Don't make me wait for too long, Naruto!"

She followed their backs disappear in the their car and eventually drive off into the road. She was left alone again in the parlor with nothing but her thoughts for entertainment. But, with so much somber information to process, wiping the spotless tables for the second time sounds better than letting her mind sit lax. She stopped shortly and sighed, wiping her forehead, "Hah, I really wish this whole thing would just blow over."

Naruto and Menma marveled at the cherry blossoms. Their petals were everywhere, raining down softly, but mercilessly, on the park. The September breeze swept along the concrete, twirling and twisting while picking up fallen flowers. The poor fellows foolish enough to go outside had red tender nose from the waves of pollen accompanying the blossoms. Others had rosy cheeks from the frost and many were almost engulfed by their scarves. There were curious pink tornadoes dancing at the feet of strangers cause by opposing winds. People dotted the glazed land, chatting and eating with their loved ones. Sweets and warm delights often occupied their mouths or their hands while they savored the scent of fall. Everyone was content with everything; even the sun was gently smiling, reaching out its rays and faintly warming the air.

They walked for a few minutes, before stopping to rest on a bench, its wood, green with maturity, creaked as they pressed their weight on it. There wasn't a single word uttered while they worked their way into their ice-cream. Naruto's eyes drifted from the pink glare of the cherry blossoms and glanced beside him. After building as much confidence as he could muster in his head, he wrapped an arm around Menma, "Hey, akachan...Do you want to you know about your Otosan?"

Menma's eyes went wide, flipping his head to assure himself that he heard correctly. At first his face brightened and his mouth opened to plead yes, but then the excitement quickly drained and his eyebrows knitted together. He closed his mouth hesitantly, only whispering, "I don't know."

Naruto's eyebrows flicked upwards in surprise. Concerned, he pulled the reluctant toddler closer, "Why not?"

"Well, I'm not sure if I want to know."

Something about his uncertainty scared Naruto. Did he find something out? Was there something wrong? He brushed the stray locks from Menma's face, "Look at me, akachan. Why would you say that?"

"Because," the little raven answered, "I'm scared of the truth. I'm scared that maybe it's my fault that he left."

Naruto felt guilt punch his stomach, "No, no. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then how come he left? How come he's not here? With us?"

"Akachan, you are not at fault here."

"Then why? Was it because he didn't want me, then? I don't understand, Chichi," Menma prodded, hoping there was something he could put together, just anything he could use to make everything sensible. But, he didn't hear his voice cracking or notice his eyes watering.

Naruto pulled him into his lap and started calmly shushing. Menma dropped his cone and wrapped both his arms around Naruto's neck.

"Menma," he whispered, "it's not your fault. It's my fault. You're confused and frustrated and it's all because of me."

Menma pawed at his eyes, "Why?"

"Because I didn't tell you early enough. I thought you were too young to understand, but I underestimated you. You were already trying to solve a puzzle you didn't have all of the pieces to yet and you ended up blaming yourself," Naruto wavered and wiped away Menma tears, "I'm sorry, akachan."

He sniffled, but refused to cry anymore, "It's okay, Chichi. I understand."

Naruto cuddled him into his chest again, relieved but still plagued by shame, "I'm so glad I got such a smart and kind little boy."

Menma laughed and tried to push away, "It's because you raised me that way, Chichi. I should be thankful for you, not the other way around."

"Gahh, don't say that, you're gonna make me tear up!"

They goofed around for a second then reveled in the silence. Menma pushed himself up, "But, can I still know about Otosan?"

"Of course, ask anything you want."

Menma tiled his head, "Then, what happened to him?"

Naruto took a moment to answer. He didn't want to lie, but there was no way he could just outright state that Sasuke was a dirty, sniveling cheater-even thought he was-because that wasn't him. He was much more then that and he wants Menma to grow up with the same image of his father he grew to love.

"Well," he balked, "he-"

"Actually," Menma interrupted, "I think I'd rather imagine how he was instead of how he left."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he ensured, "I want to know what kind of person he was."

Naruto chuckled nervously, "Well he was rude, stuck-up and a very sour person."

"He doesn't exactly sound like prince charming," Menma commented.

"Because he's not. Sometimes he would forget about me when he worked too much and often we would get into quarrels."

"But," Naruto persisted, "he was an amazing person."

"How? He sounds really mean right now."

"He was amazing because even if he was a little hard-headed sometimes, he'd sacrifice everything to make a person happy. If he could, he would give them the whole world."

"I don't know," Menma shrugged, "he still sounds pretty mean."

"He always is at first. But if you dig down a bit deeper, you realize how much he's willing to sacrifice for other people. He has to put up this hard mask because people judge him all the time. His parents weren't exactly the best and his brother struggled to bring him up."

Menma lowered his shoulders, "Oh..."

Naruto smiled and rumpled his head, "That's why Otosan was amazing, he gives it his all because he doesn't want anyone to go through what he has."

"Did, he give you his all?"

"Almost," Naruto answered, his eyes drooping slightly.

Menma hummed and swayed his head back and forth, "How about what he looked like?"

"Actually, you're just about the perfect reflection of him."

"Really!?"

Naruto swept up more stray hair from his face, "Yup, except his eyes were black."

"Black?"

"Oh and his hair was a lot shorter. It looked more the bottom end of a duck more than actual hair."

Menma halted and pictured himself with dark eyes and a duck-butt for hair. He broke into a rush of laughter. Naruto gleamed at him, content with watching him shake with amusement. That was one less boulder off his back, alleviating a bit of load from his worries. And as they walked back to the car, his steps felt lighter. Considering all the time that's passed, he figured this is finally his break. Maybe, just maybe, he might finally sort everything out and when someone crosses his path again, maybe he might be ready enough to forgive. Once they were ready and driving on the road, off to home, Menma chirped, "I think today might be one of the happiest days of my life."

Naruto glanced from his mirror, "Really? Why?"

"Well," the latter explained, "I don't know why, but I'm actually hoping Otosan would come back to us soon."

Naruto didn't answer.

"Wait, Chichi, I still have a couple questions."

"Hm?"

"How was I born?" 3

Naruto went red and faintly shook his head, "Uhh, I think we should wait for a little while before we can talk about that, akachan."

"Fine, how about Otosan's name? You haven't told me it, yet."

Naruto looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were starting to set in now. Soon it was going to rain and the previously grinning atmosphere would be washed aside. In a way, it seemed there was a warning imprinted into the gloom; like a vague superstition of bad luck. The name was foreign, but it still gradually rolled off his tongue, "His name was Sasuke Uchiha." +

Meanwhile

Sasuke sneezed as he finished parking on the gray asphalt. Rubbing his nose to clear it from irritation, he turned the keys, killing the engine and directed his attention at the looming house in front of him.

He hardened his determination, "I'm getting you back Naruto."


	9. Chapter 9

? I'm back, I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating my mom got this thing called Circle that blocked my from fanfiction and I only bypassed it yesterday. Sorry hope you enjoy. And please comment to tell my narusasunaru, naruneji, or narukiller B that last one I'm just kidding about but what about naruramen, that's a good ship.

Starting from when he was four, Sasuke always caught his mother quietly mutter, "離れる鳥は混乱を免れません" (Hanareru tori wa konran o manugaremasen). If he asked about it, she would just smile and wave it off, saying that it was nothing but an old proverb. He felt irked, never content with his mother's evasive.

When he was six, he had forced his older brother to teach him some basic kanji. He soaked up as much as he could, desperate to apply his knowledge and fulfill his intense desire to understand his mother's phrase. Eventually, the loose mumblings began forming words in his mind, but he still couldn't grasp its importance. He scratched at his brain, finally accepting the reality that he would never be satisfied unless his mother told him directly.

He spends two summers planning and drawing up enough courage to ask. They were sitting on the porch side-by-side, watching the grass dip as dragonflies clung to the ends, content with the buzz of the heat, when he turned to his mother and finally asked what her favorite proverb meant.

She felt her sigh as she smiled, turning to face him and rub his head, "It means, A leaving bird does not leave a mess."

He cocked his head to the side, feeling even more confused, "Well, what does that mean to you?"

"To me...," she paused and looked up, "it means if you intend to leave a person, don't give them unnecessary burdens."1

"But...what happens if they return?"

She chuckles, sad and heavy, "Then the bird can only hope to be witty enough to solve the problems they left behind."

At that moment, he was pleased, feeling as though he understood what she meant when really it had clarified nothing. It wasn't until Junior High when her words dawned on him. His mother had referred to his father, growing cold and distant. If you asked him who his father was, Sasuke would hesitate to answer. His father's face is a blur in his memories, barely present, barely recognizable. He only knew one thing about him whilst growing up and that was his unhealthy obsession with his career, often burying himself in paperwork, barely giving Itachi and himself the presence of a father. The day his mother found out that he had been cheating, she broke into a fury. Sasuke had only seen his mother so emotional a few times throughout his life, and this was at the very top. She, however, eventually admitted to being slightly aware of what was happening, but his pathetic method of destroying their marriage viciously gnawed at her nerves. 1

When this memory of her first started popping up, Sasuke couldn't help but flinch. Even from across the grave, he felt his mother's disappointment encasing him, probably cursing him. It pulled his attention away from reality, often taking up more space in his mind than the reports he was supposed to be doing. Even as he was driving, there would be moments where stretches of time would disappear; a really dangerous habit considering how many close calls he's already had. He was only finally given the freedom to ease his tense muscles when he parked the car in front of his house. Sasuke groaned, the beating in his head growing by the minute. He's lost count of how many times his mind had fluttered back and forth to his past. He sighed, turning off the engine, but making no moves to exit. How long had it been? A week? Maybe? With each passing day, his situation never ceased to challenge every bit of logic he's cultivated. 3

First of all, he has a son; a bright-eyed, intelligent little boy with maybe twice the wit and three times the empathy. It would've been easier to have just stopped there, but no, life decides to throw him another curve ball. Naruto, the source of his nonstop mental fidgeting for who knows how long, was the one who fathered-er mothered?-his son.

Sasuke gripped the wheel, feeling the leather sink beneath his suffocating clutch. As ridiculous as it is to say out loud, he wanted to throw himself into the boat and wholeheartedly believe that Menma was his biological son. But, as predicted, even blind trust can't make his case any easier. Not only does the concept of male pregnancy physically ail him, but Naruto had kept him from his son for five years. For five years, Menma went about in this world without him by his side. He wasn't there for him for his first step or his first birthday or his first tooth. He's missed such a critical part of his son's life and there's nothing anybody can do to bring that back.

As selfish as it would sound, he felt angry, even betrayed, by Naruto. He took away something he could never return to him; the bliss of fatherhood. But, then again, considering his past decisions, it would only be right to place doubt in his ability to be a proper father.

Sasuke stepped out, frustration building as he was pulled between irrationally crying out or wallowing in self-pity. He didn't bother fetching his suitcase, knowing full well that the only thing he would be accomplishing tonight is three hours of sleep. With thoughts burdening his mind, he mindlessly trudged to the door, barely registering the fact that his fingers didn't touch a freezing cold doorknob when he reached out. He lifts his eyes, movements stiff and sluggish.

Sakura stood in the doorway, her pink robe carelessly wrapped against her body, almost exposing her entire chest. She leaned to her left, both hands wrapping around her cup of coffee, "Where've you been?"

Sasuke shook his head, walking past her and shaking off his shoes, "I told you not to drink coffee this late. You don't sleep well if you've had caffeine."

She puffed, closing the door, "Dinner's gone cold."

"That's fine, I was just going to drink some tea and go to sleep."

Sasuke walked into the kitchen, his eyes fleeting over the set table, before walking to the cupboards, "You sure prepared a lot of food."

Sakura pulled out a seat and sat down, taking a quick sip of her coffee, "Well, we haven't had a good meal in a long time. I wanted to go all out."

Sasuke filled his cup and shoved it into the microwave. There was silence, only a faint hum as the water began to boil. A quick beep and Sasuke pulls out his cup, plopping in his teabag and resting his back against the counters.

"Sasuke, come sit with me," Sakura motioned to the seat beside her.

He paused for a second, contemplating, before pushing himself forward to the chair. He eases himself down and takes another long drink while looking at the woman across from him. Sakura had bags underneath her eyes, but she looked vibrant as ever. For a quick second, he envisioned what it would be like seeing Naruto as unraveled as her. Then, as sudden as it had appeared, the vision was gone; replace with non-other than harsh realization. He sets down his cup, sighing at what he had shamelessly done.

Sakura watched him bore into her, eyes unmoving and intense. She feels heat creeping up to warm her cheeks and she grins playfully, "Is there something on my face?"

Sasuke inhales deeply before slowly releasing all the air from his lungs, "I think it's time to break this off."

Sakura's eyelashes fluttered, amusement immediately wiped from her face, "What?"

"I think it would be better for both of us if we split up."

Sasuke tried his best not to stare as Sakura gawked at him, mouth slightly agape from surprise.

"Wait," she sputtered, "can we talk about this a little more?"

"Sakura, we're not happy with each other anymore," he reasoned.

"What are you talking about? Sure, we've grown apart, but this isn't something we can't fix." She was exasperated, her eyes were turning glossy with desperation and tears.

He took one of her hands and ran his thumb across her palm, "Sakura, I know you've been cheating on me."

Her expressions turned from hopelessness to pure horror, then finally settling on anger, "So wait, you've known this whole time I've been cheating on you?"

Sasuke released her hand, taking a sip of his tea and nodding his head, "I figured you were happier that way."

"Of course not," she sneered, "I wanted you! Why can't you fight for me for once?" 3

Sakura sobbed into her hand, "Couldn't you have at least pretended to have cared for me at some point?"

"I did," he fought, "I did care for you."

"That's the problem," she snapped, "you did care for me and along the road you just gave up. You didn't even bother fixing us."

"That's because...," Sasuke couldn't finish his sentence.

Sakura glared at him, "That's because you didn't want to. Well, guess what, I'm not giving up that easily and neither are you."

She roughly rose from her seat, wrapping her robe tighter around her body, "Good night."

Sasuke got up, "No Sakura, we're done. There's no changing that."

He watched her continue stomping up the stairs, hearing a loud thud as she violently slams the master bedroom's door shut.

Sasuke stood still, bewildered out of his mind. Not once would he consider the outcome to be like this. Before he could decide on what his next move could be, his phone started vibrating. He began patting his sides, fishing his phone from his right pocket.

He read the name blinking on the screen, "Deidara?" and pressed answer, "Hey, Deidara, I'm sort of busy right now, so unless this is an emergency, I'm going to hang up."

"Geez, Sasuke-kun, always straight to the point as usual. Well, I'm coming to your house right now to pick you up."

Sasuke glanced at his watch before dubiously bitting out, "Are you crazy? It's 1:32 in the morning, can't it wait?"

"Nope, it's an emergency meeting."

Deidara didn't have a single hint of fear or alarm in his voice, but it couldn't stop the worry from releasing into Sasuke's veins, "Does it have something to with Itachi?"

"Nah," he chuckled, "the old bastard's fine. But, he did say he needed to speak with you 'bout something real important."

"Well, tell him unless he's dying, I don't want to see him."

"Ugh, what is it with you brothers and hating. You guys are just about as close as two siblings can get and yet you'll still lunge at each others' throats."

"Anyway," he continued, "he said that if you don't come, he's going to post your baby pictures all over the company building."

Sasuke froze, "That asshole."

Lights shining past the thin curtains caught his eye and Sasuke hangs up the phone, wasting no time to grab his coat and jog outside. Deidara got out of the car and jumped up, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck, "Sasuke-kun! I haven't seen you in so long!"

Sasuke struggled to keep upright as the taller man pushed all his weight on him. Deidara's energy was always something beyond his comprehension, but at the moment, it down right terrified him. "You know," he breathed out, "it's only been a month."

Deidara unlaced his arms and pulled back, "I know, but a lot of things can still happen in a month."

Thinking back to Naruto, Sasuke sighed and agreed, "Yeah, I guess that's true."

Looking closer, Sasuke squinted his eyes and pointed to his face, "Did you just get out of work? You're still wearing makeup."

Deidara rubbed the bottom of his eye, gently smudging the black lining his lashes, "Yeah, I was their androgynous model for the day. Pays more, but I was stuck with more hours."

"Why didn't you tell Itachi that?"

"I did," he muttered, " and he still refused. So, I tried seducing him over the phone and things backfired. According to him, if I had enough energy to go about like a rabbit in heat, I had enough energy to pick you up."

Sasuke felt his eye twitch and wrinkled his nose, "Wonderful, really appreciating that imagery."

Deidara laughed, enjoying the pain and trauma on his face, and motioned to the passenger seat, "Come on, we've got people waiting on us."

"People? I thought you said it was only Itachi."

"Well," he slurred, "yeah, but someone decided to butt in."

Deidara chattered the entire time; he did not hesitate to indulge himself with a new set of ears to inform and a brain to shape. There were times Sasuke was questioning whether or not he was breathing at all; his words never stopped flowing, not even for a short breath. Also, considering that he claimed to have spent his entire day contorting his body into those uncomfortable, inhuman positions, Sasuke was more than certain that nuclear fusion at the pit of his stomach was the only explanation behind all that limitless energy. He was on the brink of drooling out his liquefied brain when he felt the sweet bliss of the car bouncing as it pulled into the driveway. Sasuke peeked out and saw Itachi and Kakashi waiting at the patio, the door behind them slightly ajar. He nearly tripped scurrying out of the car, his brain ready to sacrifice a part of itself for any topic that didn't include the types of clothes for prevalent Americans and Japanese.

Itachi snickered when he saw misery practically etched on Sasuke's face, "Did he burn out your ears talking about the current fashion trends?"

"Hey," Deidara skipped up the short stairs and pecked him on the cheek, "fashion is my job, I'm sorry if I'm very passionate about what I do for a living."

Kakashi chuckled and hooked his arm around Sasuke's shoulder, "Sorry kid, I know what it's like."

"So do I," Itachi added.

Deidara pouted, "You know what, you guys are jackasses, teaming up against me."

"You know what," he puffed, "everybody get in, I've got the perfect drink to warm everyone up."

Everyone shuffled inside, appreciating the heat warming the tips of their numb noses. Deidara immediately himself and scuttled to the kitchen, while Itachi led the other two men to the living room. All three dropped their body on the sofa's cushions, their bones aching from a hard day at work.

Kakashi was the one to speak first, "You know, I sorta envisioned your house to be...a little bit more, well flashy."

Itachi gestured to the decor, warm and homely, and completely matching the worn furniture, "Deidara's got an annoying taste in clothes, but somehow drawn to a 'cabin-looking' kind of home."

"Then what happened to your apartment?"

The man shivered, traumatized from being exposed to such a disturbing array of colors, "Well, he was experimenting. I guess he got as tired of it as I did."

Sasuke inclined his head towards a tower of boxes bundled at the corner of the room, "You still haven't finished unpacking?"

"Deidara and I have been busy."

He raised his eyebrow, instantly calling out his brother's lame excuse, "You moved here two months ago."

"Quiet now, little brother, we're not here to talk about me."

Sasuke snorted and leaned back, crossing his arms, "Hn."

Kakashi sighed, clapping his hands on his thighs to get the attention of both brothers, "So, Sasuke-if you could-would you please explain why you visited Naruto?"

Sasuke opened his mouth, ready to deflect the question when Deidara leaped from the kitchen with four cups in his hand.

"Wait, before you start talking, have some Hot Buttered Rum," he gave everyone their drinks and sat down next to Itachi.

Everyone looked at their mugs incredulously. Kakashi raised his hand, asking, "Hot Buttered what?"

"It's just hot chocolate with alcohol," Deidara answered, "anyway, you guys were saying."

They all looked at Sasuke simultaneously.

"Fine, you nosy bastards," he bit out, "I visited Naruto because I want to."

"Oh, little brother, we all know you wanted to, the thing is we don't know why."

Sasuke snapped, frustrated at the jabbing inquiry, "Well, I don't know why! I just did!"

"Okay," Kakashi appeased, "we'll just settle that issue. Now that you've visited Naruto, do you know everything?"

"If you mean everything as in I know that I have a son, yes I know everything."

Deidara spurted in his drink, his eyes bulging out if their sockets, "WHAT."

The older man shook his head, "No I mean everything, as in the Uzumaki Massacre."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, "Uzumaki Massacre?"

"I'm guessing that's a no then."

"What about the-"

Deidara slammed his drink into the coffee table, vein visible with unrestrained confusion, "WAIT, BACK UP FOR A MOMENT. What do you mean," he pointed to Sasuke, "you're a father?"

Itachi spoke up, "He means exactly just that. He has a kid with Naruto."

"B-but," he sputtered, "the Naruto I knew was a MALE." 1

"Itachi, can you take your hysterical husband to the kitchen to get some cold water?" Kakashi pled, motioning with his head to Sasuke bent over and silent.

Itachi nodded and pulled Deidara up, soothing his dazed ramblings as he leads him to the kitchen.

Alone, Kakashi scooted closer to the other Uchiha, "So, what happened?"

"What happened?" he chuckled, "I have no idea, I'm still trying to figure that out."

"Well, have you at least spent some time with the kid yet?"

"Yeah, he came up to me-the moment I met him-and asked if I could have dinner with them."

"Did you?"

Sasuke inclined his head and pawed at his temples, "Yes and you know what? I had a great time. I had a great time watching them, talking to them, spending time with them."

Kakashi smiled and took a sip, humming at the surprisingly pleasing blend of hot chocolate and alcohol, "Are you going to be a father?"

Another chuckle, "I don't know. Should I? Isn't that up to Naruto?"

"Naruto can only decide if you should have custody," he pointed out, "not whether or not if you can be a fitting parent to Menma; that one's on you."

"Actually," Sasuke opposed, "how do you know that Naruto would want me back anywhere hear his life again?"

"And?" Kakashi stressed,"Whether or not Naruto wants a relationship with you, Menma knows who you are. He's stuck and so are you. So really, even if you're not ready, you're already a father."

"So," he continued, "erase my previous question, instead replace it with: Are you ready to face the responsibility to being a dad? And if you're aiming for what I think you might be aiming for, then are you ready to go practically skin your knees from kneeling for forgiveness?"

Remarkably, Sasuke smiled, small, uncertain and unpracticed, but a grin nevertheless, "I think it's time I start building something other than a reputation. I'm not expecting the best possible outcome, but that doesn't mean I going to give up."

Kakashi started patting his back, "Ahh, those are some pretty words, I hope they're true."

"By the way, I'm guessing I'm not going to get answers from you about the Uzumaki Massacre?"

"Nope. That one, I reserve for you and Naruto only."

"Hn, fair enough."

They both took a large gulp from their mugs as Itachi and Deidara emerged from the kitchen and settled down.

Kakashi raised one eyebrow, "Uh, Itachi, I just said to calm him," he pointed to Deidara's unzipped pants.

Sasuke almost gagged and Deidara turned fifty shades of red. Itachi just took a sip, seemingly proud, "Well, it was the only way to get him to shut up."

"ITACHI!"

They bickered for a moment before Deidara slumped down suddenly. He turns to Sasuke and clasps his hands, "Hey, Sasuke-kun, what is it like knowing that you're a dad? Excited? Scared? Anxious?"

Itachi flicked him on his back, "Deidara, leave him alone. I'll get you a puppy if you want."

He turned excitedly, blond hair going everywhere and brutally slapping Sasuke on the face, "Really! That's a promise!"

Time went smoothly from then on. Kakashi waited around for a while, sobering up and flushing the alcohol from his system before going home. As for Sasuke, he immediately took Itachi's offer to spend the night; really, they just spent the rest of their hours discussing Sasuke's current situation with Sakura. They barely noticed that morning had come until Deidara shuffled down the stairs in his pajamas and questioned the two, "Did you guys stay up the whole night?"

Sasuke and Itachi looked outside at the window, the sun a halfway above the horizon.

"Huh," Itachi coughed, "I guess we did."

Everyone jumped as Deidara's phone started ringing. He picked it from his pocket and answered, "Hey, Iruka! Good morning to you, too! Yeah...oh...wow...really? Wait, that's it? That's all you're gonna tell me! Fill me in soon, okay! Yeah! Talk to you soon."

Sasuke got up and stretched his muscles, all sore from staying in one position for too long, "What did Iruka say?"

"Um," he hesitates, "he just called to tell me that Naruto told him he was dating Neji."

"Hn. Okay..." 4

Deidara took a double take,"Okay? Just, Okay? Aren't you trying to get Naruto back?"

Sasuke cracked his neck and smirked, "I also said I wasn't going to give up."

I'll try to update soon but my dad was just reported MIA missing in action so, yeah. But I won't forget about this story anymore believe it! Dattebayo!


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